In My Time of Life
by FalalalaLa
Summary: After the destruction of the Vargas home, Romulus sends his grandchildren to two close friends. As they grow up, they learn the secrets of their past & the challenge with the mafia, who are after them. Human AU Germany/Fem!Italy, Spain/Fem!Romano
1. Prologue

_**In My Time of Life ~*~ Prologue**_

* * *

The man ran as fast as he could in the dead of night. The lights of the beautiful city of Venice lightly glowed, giving a soft eerie feeling. The roads were clear and a bit damp, though the footsteps of the man echoed, piercing into the dead silence of the city. As he ran down the streets, he constantly checked the two young children in each of his arms, both dressed in dark cloaks, fast asleep. He increased his speed, quickly making a turn into an ally that would lead him to a beautiful, almost hidden, park. Scattered about were a few benches and a gazebo, surrounded by flowers of different colors and species. The trees softly moved, a quiet whistle of the wind gently flowing through them. The man entered, frantically twisting his head around, searching for a specific spot. A minute later he found his target and started to run in the direction of an old, large olive tree.

Not much to the man's surprise, two other men were waiting, hidden somewhat by the leaves of the tree. Both of them instantly turned around, hearing the man approaching them, and rushed over to meet him halfway. The one on the left had curly brown locks of hair with light green eyes. His tanned skin shined out underneath the dimly lit area from his dark-colored clothing. Next to him was a man also dressed darkly, making his pale complexion shine out. That man had violet eyes hidden by glasses with dark auburn-colored hair.

The man holding the children was huffing and puffing as he reached the two men before him, trying to regain control of his breathing.

"Huff… Huff… Thank…Thank goodness!" he said as he fell to his knees, both children still slumbering in his arms. The man with the curly hair slowly helped him back up. "Thank… Thank you, Antonio. Glad you two made it to the meeting place in time. But…" he gave a deep sigh and looked at the two before him, his eyes watery.

"I couldn't save them… My son and his wife, they are dead." he said as the men flinched at the news. "These two… my nipote… they aren't safe here in Italy right now. Not with _those guys_ about trying to kill them and myself."

"So… what you are asking us to do is…?" questioned the one with glasses. The older man looked down, gave an endearing smile to the children in his arms, quietly taking off their hoods to reveal two beautiful little girls. He gave them each a quick kiss to the forehead before turning his attention back to the men with a serious face, his honey brown eyes focused and determined.

"I want you, Roderich and Antonio, to take care of them. I can only trust you, my friends. I can't take care of them, since _they'll_ probably try to find and kill me first and I have no other family left to leave them with. Please, I beg of you… take them into your respective houses. I have money that I've saved up for you to use; it's in the girl's pockets. They need to separate and they need to be out of Italy. I don't know if, or when, it'll be safe for them to return. It'll be harder for _them_ to find the girls if they are out of the country and living with no relatives, which I pray to God they don't, and come after me instead."

Antonio Fernandez Carriedo and Roderich Edelstein gave each other a quick nod. Smiling, Antonio said "We agreed to this since a long time ago in case an emergency happened, and we're not going to back out on our agreement, Romulus. We promise to take good care of your grandchildren. We'll also make sure they meet up and stay in contact, probably during the holidays or sometime. You have nothing to worry about."

Roderich said, "I promise as well, though I will not take bad mannerisms into my home."

The grandfather laughed quietly. "Of course, of course. They are both fine children, as you know. Then, it would be better for you to take Feliciana." He indicated to the girl in his right arm. Roderich reached out and tenderly picked her up. She had light olive toned skin, short auburn hair, and soft dimples on her cheeks.

Romulus smiled for a second and then turned to Antonio, giving him his other grandchild. This child had a slightly darker skin tone than her sister and was bigger in size. She had brown hair that covered most of her face, but she had a soft look as she continued to sleep peacefully. Antonio smiled gently down on the child.

"Lovina on the other hand… she's much wilder compared to Feli. And she knows quite a few colorful words! Still not sure where she learned them from… but I'm positive that your charm would help melt her down a bit. You're going to be a great influence on her, even if she denies it. I just know, ha ha!"

Antonio laughed lightly along with him. "I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun!"

Giving both his girls one more kiss on the cheek and a nod to each of the men, Romulus stood straight up. "Take care of them." He turned and ran out of the park, his figure fading into the distance. Roderich and Antonio turned towards one another.

"We must act quickly. While it is unsafe for him to be about, it is also unsafe for us and the children." Roderich said. "We'll talk on the phone later, once we are each home." Antonio nodded. They both said a heartfelt farewell as friends should, and went in opposite directions from the park, both concerned for the grandfather and the children in their arms.

* * *

Meanwhile in an unknown location in Southern Italy…

"Boss, I've come to report that the target has been annihilated." Said a man in a dark maroon-colored shirt and a pair of black slacks, his long brown hair tied back in a low ponytail. He was in a dim, dusky room, the only source of light coming from the closed blinds in front of the windows. An old oak desk was in front of it, and seated at the desk facing the windows was another man.

"Good. Have _all_ targets have been annihilated, Pablo?" the man asked. Pablo fidgeted.

"Uh… unfortunately… no, boss. Our main target, Veneciano and Rosabela Vargas, has. The other family members… survived… and we don't know where they are at…" Pablo waited for his boss to make a move, shivering as he stood still.

His boss was silent. After a few minutes, the man turned around in his chair, his eyes a dark, sinister plum color.

"I wanted them _all _dead, Pablo! How could such a mission fail? It was only arson, something so simple a child could do it! I want them dead! Starting with old mafia head, Romulus. We can always get his grandchildren later, da?"

Pablo nodded and scurried out of the room as fast as he could before his boss decided to kill him for the news. The man stayed in his chair, unhappy with this revelation. Not happy at all. His minions were supposed to clean away the entire state, living and non-living! That man had to die! _"Pablo shall be punished later."_ The man thought, a smile that was far from a child's smile plastered upon his face as a new plan of attack formed in his mind. Well, he always did like a challenge.

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***A/N:** So how is it so far? This is my first full multi-chapter fanfiction! I'm trying to better my writing by writing this, so talk to me about things that I could better or improve, or anything really! And I don't have a buddy who speaks any of the added languages in this, so if I mess up on something translation-wise, please please _please_ let me know!

On another note, the rating is because of Lovi's bad mouth (as usual XD) and future violence, but that's way ahead~

Next chapter is going to start on little Feli and her life at Roderich's house.

**Translations:** (If I am wrong in any of these, please correct me!)

_Italian: "nipote" - "grandchildren/grandchild"_

_Russian: "da" - "right"_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters.**_


	2. New Beginnings

**Part 1 ~*~ Chapter 1 ~*~ New Beginnings**

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It had been a few months since Feliciana had been told that her grandfather couldn't take care of her, her parents had moved on, her sister living in Spain with an old family friend, and that she couldn't go home. It was a lot to understand, most of which she still doesn't understand, but Feli was able to adjust to her new life living with the famous aristocrat Mr. Roderich Edelstein and his eccentric wife, Mrs. Elizabeta, in Vienna, Austria. Though she was part of the family, Mr. Roderich had made her a maid of the family mansion that they were staying at, saying that it would teach her proper mannerisms and education, as well as enhancing her cleaning and housekeeping abilities. And it has been so much fun for her! She got to explore the estate and help with many things. But Feliciana really loved spending time with Mrs. Elizabeta.

Mrs. Elizabeta was also the head of housekeeping; young and beautiful with long brown hair and bright green eyes. She was very motherly towards Feliciana, dressing her up, taking pictures together, and cooking meals side to side one another. Though Feli truly missed her mother, Mrs. Elizabeta was slowly becoming a surrogate mother figure to her, and Mr. Roderich was becoming a sort of surrogate father figure, even if he was strict with her at times (like when she ate all the food, but it wasn't her fault that she was _sooooo_ hungry!) and gentle at other times (like when he was playing piano he would let her listen and softly talk with her). Feliciana was very happy to live in such a lively household!

Yet, it didn't clear her mind of one thing: _her parents_. At times, she would space out thinking about them, only to be lightly scolded for doing so by Mr. Roderich because mainly during those times she'd forget her work or she would accidentally break things. Mrs. Elizabeta noticed this, and tried to cheer her up by giving her photos of them and telling stories about them, since she was childhood friends with her mother, and her husband being a close friend of her grandfather. It made her feel more at home with the pictures, and had some of them set up in her room. Even if the Edelstein's weren't her real family, they very much acted like it and she was grateful to them.

Today they would be having another person living with them. Apparently, his guardian would be going into the German army and, because he was friends with the Edelstein couple, was going to leave his younger brother with them.

Feliciana was excited to make a new friend! He was 11 years old, only two years older than her. She had plans to paint with this boy, make pasta together, go stargazing, and so much more!

The young Italian was cleaning the living room, wearing her favorite green dress with a white bandana in her short auburn hair, a curl sticking out to the side. The room was colorless with a tall ceiling and a beautifully ornate chandelier hanging in the center. A twisting staircase was to the right and an elegant, simple beige couch and coffee table sat in the center on a wonderfully decorated lavender carpet. Artwork covered a few of the walls along with a few expensive vases on pedestals scattered about.

Mr. Roderich came in and walked up to Feliciana, who held her push broom closely. Her big, light brown eyes gazed up to him.

"Feliciana, I'd like to introduce you to someone." He said simply.

Feli nodded as Mr. Roderich put a hand behind her back and with the other motioned towards the hallway for someone to come in. A young man wearing a dark black cloak with matching boots and hat walked in, his head held high. He had on a scary face, of which Feliciana unintentionally shivered at first, but after a closer look she could tell that he was nervous from the way his icy blue eyes were darting about. Besides the strict-looking face, he appeared to be a nice boy, not to mention handsome. Feliciana decided right then and there that they had to become friends. The girl brightened her smile and walked up to him, giving a curtsy as she had learned from her lessons.

"It's nice to meet you, ve! I'm Feliciana Rosabela Vargas, but you can call me Feli for short! I can't wait to show you around and to play with you and cook with you- oh! Do you like pasta? I love pasta! It's the best food in the world! I learned from my grandfather…"

Feliciana continued to chat away as the boy grew flustered. Feli did not notice this, lost in her world of pasta and painting, until he gave a light cough, causing the young girl to pause for a moment. The boy took this opportunity to introduce himself.

"M-my name i-is Ludwig Beilschmidt. I'll be s-staying here while m-my brother is off i-in the army." Ludwig stuttered, a bright blush coming onto his face.

Feliciana smiled. "Ludwig… that's a nice name! Ah, you're German, right? Ve, I can hear your accent while you talk~!" The boy nodded, his face growing redder by each passing second.

"It's nice that you have a brother, ve~! I have a- oh Ludwig! Are you feeling sick? You look like you're burning up!"

The girl ran in front of him, placing her forehead on his slightly taller one. If anything, this did _not_ help the boy, who stammered even more as he backed up, arms up and waving frantically in front of him. He said in a raised voice, "N-N-No! No! I'm okay! Not sick at all!"

Feliciana jumped a little, suddenly scared because of how his voice sounded angrier and how his face was stern, and ran behind Roderich, giving out small audible wails. Roderich sighed and apologized to Ludwig as Elizabeta stood in a corner of the room, watching them all with a camera in one hand and giggling.

"Things are going to get pretty interesting around here from now on!"

After only spending a few weeks with this odd sort of "family," Ludwig knew everything there was to know about Feliciana. She was quite talkative, telling him about things she liked, things she hated and everything in between. She was so very pretty too and Ludwig sometimes had trouble just talking to her. He didn't really say much normally, and his usual firm face made her scared sometimes. At times, he'd run to her to ask a question, usually about how her day went, but she'd run away! And she was fast! He could never catch up to her! And when she appeared much later, Feliciana would apologize with tears in her eyes. It was very awkward with her, but it also made him feel… comfortable at the same time.

There had also been times when he spotted Elizabeta stalking them, laughing or taking pictures. She was a strange woman, that's for sure. Gilbert, his brother, had told him many stories of Elizabeta. They grew up together and he said that Elizabeta had honestly thought she was a boy, playing swords in the mud, and doing other "boy" activities. His brother also warned him of her frying pan saying that _"It hurts like hell if she ever strikes you, but she won't hit you. I mean, I'm completely awesome and everything, but sometimes she just can't take it and uses that damn pan against me! So unawesome!"_

And Roderich was "very classy and serious with a short temper", Gilbert had told him. Though Ludwig found that out to be true, unlike the _"frying pan banshee." _Roderich homeschooled both him and Feliciana, also teaching them piano. Feliciana would space out at times, which resulted disastrously as Roderich was specific with how to handle the beloved instrument. Sometimes, Ludwig swore the man treated the thing like a real woman who needed to be held gently and whisper soft sweet words into her ear.

This place was crazy. Ludwig did not know it was possible to fall into Wonderland so easily.

There were also times where Ludwig… dare he say it… _missed_ _Gilbert_. Ever since his parents died in a car crash when he was little, Gilbert took care of him. Though his albino brother was a loudmouth, and messy.. and narcissist at times… and a heavy drinker… and tortures the word, "awesome" in every way possible, Ludwig loved him very much. But he felt like at times Gilbert held things from him. He'll talk about their parents and answer any questions he had, but anything in regards to their deaths, Gilbert would shut his mouth, which was very un-Gilbert like. However, Ludwig didn't think much of it and understood. He didn't really want to talk about it as well.

Why Gilbert wanted to go serve the country, Ludwig didn't know. Ludwig thought it was probably for the money. He sent him off to a _"stuffy aristocrat who didn't like fun just like you, and a crazy frying pan devil woman."_

He was worried, and would think of his brother often. The one thing that cheered him up, even when he was lost in these thoughts of his broken family was the little green dressed maid with a bouncing curl in her hair. She, along with Elizabeta and Roderich, were slowly becoming his new family. Ludwig thought though, seeing how loving the Edelstein's were and the cheerfulness of Feliciana that always seemed to clear his dark and dreary day, that maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

***A/N:** Wow! I didn't think this story would get a lot of hits, but over 40 is amazing for me :D Remember, I'm kind of new at this, so any little thing pleases me. That and I guess I'm just easy going? lol!

Yes, Austria and Hungary are married. Hungary is acting kinda stalker-ish 'cause she thinks the two are adorable. I don't want you to think she's a creeper or anything, but just that she finds them endearing.

And besides that, Ludwig appears! I won't lie, I made HRE=Germany in this fic, so this is "HRE" but a bit of Germany mixed with it, and I apologize if he seems OOC, but I'm trying! I also tried to make it look like he respects his brother, even if he doesn't exactly agree with him a majority of the time. You have to think, Ludwig, like Feli, is very young to have lost both parents and to be whisked away to a family friend without your sibling. See what I got goin' there? Exactly.

Next chapter, unfortunately, will not show these two or Austria or Hungary (or any mentions of _his awesomeness_) at all. We'll be switching to a completely new perspective. Can you guess? It's not very hard, I guarentee~

And with that, I bid you an _adios~!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters!**_


	3. Out in the Sun

**Part 1 ~*~ Chapter 2 ~*~ Out in the Sun**

* * *

Lovina was outright furious.

"_Where is that damn tomato-loving freak?"_ she thought as she walked down the hallway towards Antonio's room.

The house she resided in was fairly large, especially for one that was on a farm in Spain. There were normally two helpers that assisted with the farming chores, but because it was a Sunday they had the day off. And because of that, Lovina couldn't get help and now had to find the man on her own.

She marched down the hallway, her fists clutching her light pink dress. Her short dark-brown hair was bouncing with her steps, even more so with the long curl that refused to be combed normally. Lovina turned to the double doors at the end of the hallway, deciding that if the idiot wasn't up and about the place spreading sunshine, then he had to have been in here. She positioned herself and with the force of an angry fighting bull, she ran full speed ahead and slammed into the closed doors, creating a large noise as the doors creaked opened.

The room in color was pretty plain, but the antiques and photographs that covered the wall made it seem like a room of treasure. There was a huge balcony with large, white curtains covering the incoming sun on the west side. Even with the wonderfully beautiful view of hills and greenery, Lovina's brown-colored eyes were focused on the bed near the middle back of the room. A patch of curly brown hair could be seen from under the sheets and a light snore could be heard.

The man could sleep through anything. If there had been an alien invasion during the night, he wouldn't find out about it until the next morning! Honestly_..._ The young girl strode right up to the bed, jumped onto the red mattress, and slammed into the stomach of the man.

With a yelp, Antonio jumped up in bed and began to frantically look around. After spotting Lovina on his lap, his face stretched out into a smile.

"Lovi! Ouch… _Buenos dias, tomate_!" With his arms already out, he enveloped her into a hug. Lovina squirmed and tried to break free of his grasp.

"You idiot! I'm not a tomato! Now let go of me, dammit!"

"Aww, but Lovi, you look like one when you blush! And what did I tell you about that language, hmm?" Antonio gave her a look, of which she ignored and freed herself from his death hug as she jumped off the bed.

"J-just go make breakfast, stupid Spaniard." A light blush appearing on her face as she left his lap and headed back into the hallway.

Antonio nodded, replying with a quick yes and followed the 11 year old out, ready to start the day.

It had been about five months since they started living together and Romulus had been right: she was a feisty little thing! And had such a potty mouth to Antonio's surprise. Not to mention that she was much stronger than she looked; he could tell 'cause she would hit him at times like if he didn't wake up or if he forgot things. This child was just full of surprises.

He had talked to Roderich about how Feli had been, and when he heard she would clean and cook and do daily chores, Antonio tried it on Lovina.

It didn't exactly go as planned.

She would try and give it her best no doubt, but clumsiness overtook her and she'd break things. Then she'd just laze around the house, asking him to do things like a servant when he was the boss! Though he did find out that she could at least cook, with his help, and was good at taking care of the animals and crops, even if she denied it. When he would teach her Spanish, she'd claim that the language "sucked" and that she'd just "stick with the best language there is, Italian", but he found out that she actually was trying to learn the language being taught. Although when a friend from Madrid came one time, she practically yelled "_Bésame!" _when he asked her to speak Spanish.

But deep down, Antonio knew that Lovina was good and really liked it here in Spain, but he also knew she was sad due to the loss of her parents and from being separated from her sister.

He could sympathize: his own parents died when he was young and most of his closest relatives moved far away, leaving him to tend this very farm with his grandfather until he died a few years ago. And now, at the age of 17, he was doing great and had a lot of income as a farmer. He had help from two assistants (his grandfather's friends) that had been on the farm much longer than he had and would always come around to help a bit.

Antonio smiled softly, lost in his thoughts until Lovina's shout of breakfast brought him back. After he made breakfast, the two spent their time out in the field, doing regular chores such as caring for the animals and plants. Lovina didn't mind getting dirty and actually liked it; even when her dress got filthy and Antonio would lightly scold her. They were out in the field for most of the day, taking their lunch break sitting and eating tomatoes together under a large tree in the back. Antonio was enthusiastic to find that Lovina loved tomatoes just as much as he did (thus the tomato nickname for Lovina). They took a short siesta in the late afternoon (which is quite a normal thing for the Spanish and Italians), they'd go back into the house together and make dinner. Aside from Lovina's homeschool days, this was how the day normally went.

Later that night, long after both had gone to bed, Antonio heard some strange noises. Curious, he got out of bed and walked down a familiar hallway; Lovina's hallway. The second he saw movement, he darted right back. Lovina was there, holding her bed sheets in her arms.

"_Not again…"_ Antonio thought as he sighed quietly. Watching the girl, he noticed she was going to the laundry room. Antonio quickly followed, knowing that she could damage the machine.

As she was putting the sheets into the washer, he reached above her and took out some fabric softener. Lovina shrieked and froze. Antonio looked down at her and smiled. He finished up starting the machine and then turned to her. "You know you can ask for help, Lovi. I know you still have a problem wetting the bed-"

Lovina head butted him in the stomach as he bent over in pain. "I'm 11 years old, I don't wet the bed anymore, dammit! I spilled my drink on it! And it was a stupid squirrel that peed on my bed when I first got here!"

Antonio gave a small chuckle and nodded, standing back up straight. She was just so cute at times!

He walked her back to her room, fixed up new sheets and placed her in the bed, kissing her forehead. She blushed, exclaimed that she didn't need to be tucked in, and whispered a good night to him. Antonio left and turned out the lights, softly shutting the door.

She might not be like her sister (you could _definitely_ tell the two apart! Even if they looked like twins), but Lovina was special and Antonio knew it. He didn't really know why. Maybe it was just a feeling or a thought that had crossed his mind. Nevertheless, Antonio was glad that she was here, unaware of the impact that she would be making on his life down the road.

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***A/N**: Ah, another chapter done! Next one should be up within the next week. Some notes for this chapter:

1. Lovina and Feliciana are _not_ twins. In Hetalia, they have been described as "older and younger" according to Hima-papa. And anyway, Lovi needed to be older. How can we have Spamano if she is about 10 years apart from him? (I know people fall in love and marry like that (I have an aunt and uncle that are 11 years apart), but I wanted them to be closer in age, but having Lovi still young)

2. The reason why Antonio is taking care of Lovi, even though he's _only 17_ is that he is a close friend of Rumulus, like Roderich. So he knew Antonio for one, and two, Antonio is very mature (being forced to grow up quickly and take responsibility. Romulus thought it would be a good thing for Antonio to take care of one of his girls to liven up the place since it's like a daily routine at a farm) and can handle things well even though he's technically not old enough to take care of Lovi, but within the next few chapters he will be so no worries.

3. Now thinking about it, a lot of people's parents are dead in this! How depressing! D:

**Translations:**

_Buenos dias mi tomate __– Spanish - Good Morning my tomato_

_Bésame__! – Spanish - Kiss me!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters!**_


	4. Wishful Thinking

**Part 1 ~*~ Chapter 3 ~*~ Wishful Thinking**

* * *

Feliciana loved the time she spent together with Ludwig, even if every now and then he scared her and chased after her like a lion to its prey.

He was generally quiet and didn't really express himself on many things, but Feliciana found out one day that he loves reading after seeing him sit the library for hours on end with a stack of books. So, for the upcoming holiday of Christmas, she decided to get him a book.

Which book, she didn't have a clue.

It was early December when she asked Mrs. Elizabeta to take her out, of which the woman happily replied that they'd leave that afternoon, her eyes twinkling. Once Feliciana was done with her chores, Mrs. Elizabeta dressed her in a warm pink coat, herself in a large beige trenchcoat, and headed out, holding hands along the way. They only lived about a fifteen minute walk from the marketplace, and the weather currently was not too cold for traveling, so they decided to walk there instead of taking a car.

The city of Vienna was beautiful around Christmastime. It reminded Feliciana of her home back in Italy, and they had very pretty lights as well! The marketplace was filled with similar lights and music, packed full of people rushing about for gifts. A few children were running around in circles, playing in the snow that had fallen earlier during the day. Mrs. Elizabeta smiled and asked what Feliciana wanted to see first.

"Art! And pasta!" she happily exclaimed, looking around excitedly. They headed towards the nearest art-filled place and took a look around. Feliciana was astounded by the many different shapes and sizes of art supplies, and loved the colors of the stunning paintings on the wall. She walked around for a bit until she stopped. In front of her were several white canvases.

"_If I had enough paint, I could paint everyone back home! Mr. Roderich, Mrs. Elizabeta, and also Ludwig!" _The girl thought.

But that was not the reason for coming; oh not at all! Feliciana can't be distracted!

She shook her head and turned to ask Mrs. Elizabeta to take her to a bookstore. The woman nodded, finished her conversation with the paint merchant, and walked around with little Feliciana some more. In a few short minutes they were in a small cozy bookstore. The owner, an elderly aged man with round spectacles, gave them a smile that they both returned. The two began to make their way through the library, picking up and looking at books every once in a while.

"Hey… Mrs. Elizabeta?" questioned Feliciana as she walked into the next section.

"Yes, Feli?"

"I want to give something special to Ludwig since he's been so kind to me lately, and I know he loves to read… but I don't know which book to give him." Mrs. Elizabeta laughed as she guided the girl to the mystery/adventure novel section a few shelves over.

"I've noticed that he reads quite a lot of adventure and mystery books, though he'll really read anything he finds an interest in. However, I think a good mystery would work don't you think, _drágám?_"

Feliciana smiled, said thank you, and proceeded to look around some more. After about ten minutes, she had selected a book (with the help of Mrs. Elizabeta of course). They paid for it and left, heading back into the market.

Along with the mystery novel for Ludwig, Feli also picked out piano music for Mr. Roderich and a stuffed animal for Mrs. Elizabeta, who promised she'd be surprised on Christmas with a wink. It took another two hours to go through the marketplace to find some of the gifts, but they left with a smile on their faces, giggling and laughing as they walked back home while the snow softly fell from above.

Having just finishing his school lessons, Ludwig was lying on the couch exhausted. Learning about history was hard. Why should he care about the leaders from the Holy Roman Empire? "_Not like learning these kinds of things really have any effect in the present..." _Ludwig stubbornly thought. _"Where will I need the knowledge to know the different leaders from past empires that no longer exist? I'd rather learn about the leaders of today, that's what will come in handy."_

His peaceful rest was short lived as he earned a scolding from Roderich about proper etiquette when the older man found him spread upon the couch (Roderich believed in something called manners and respect for one's home) and forced him up. "What do you think you are doing? That is not how someone should sit themselves on a couch! And to have your feet on it as well?" Ludwig was _not_ in the mood for this, tired from all of his studies, but stood listening to the man's rant anyway. About ten minutes into Roderich's monologue, the front door opened as a soft feminine voice rang, announcing that they had returned home.

Ludwig stole a glace out of the corner of his eye and saw her. Feliciana and Elizabeta were giving their bags to the other servants, who had come to welcome them home. Feli was chatting with them for a short while happily, a bright smile on her face. Once she was finished talking with them, she turned around and saw Ludwig. She started to skip in his direction only to begin retreating quickly to the gardens out back the moment she saw Roderich's stern angry face. The yard was where she always went when she was scared, Ludwig noticed.

Elizabeta came over him with a worried look. She interrupted Roderich's rant, _Gott sei dank_, and gave Ludwig a look that said _go-to-Feli-I'll-take-care-of-this_. Ludwig rushed out as Roderich's annoyed tone of voice echoed through the house.

He ran out into the private grounds, which was very impressive. Covered in a few inches of snow, it looked like a winter wonderland with the woods not too far back. It was a few aches big, and had many trees and shrubs around. Following the footprints Feliciana had made not too long ago, he walked around trees and bushes, and found her near a pond a little away from the mansion. She had her hands on her knees, crouching low to the ground while looking deep into the cold water. The way everything looked, with her staring into the water and the white snow everywhere, made her seem so much more… beautiful.

Ludwig blushed at the thought, but shook his head as he walked over and noticed something sliding down her face: tears.

"Feli?" he asked, a little uncertain.

The Italian jumped in shock and slipped, falling backwards into the pond. Ludwig only had a split second to decide his course of action. He lurched forward, grabbing her wrist and pulled her head in his shoulder with his other hand. Unable to control his balance in time as well, they fell into the pond together, creating a huge splash.

Hearing the noise, the Edelstein couple ran out of the mansion, quickly following the small footprints in the snow to see Ludwig holding Feliciana with his arms around her, standing in the pond; both of them were drenched.

"Oh my goodness! We need to get you two inside quickly!" Elizabeta said as she and Roderich rushed the two inside.

An hour later after the incident, dressed much warmly and sitting by the lit fireplace in the commons room was Ludwig, wrapped in a wool blanket and staring into the fire as he thought about Feliciana crying earlier. He had a lot of questions for her.

_"Why was she crying? Was it something I did? Is she alright?"_

A creak in the doorway stopped his thinking process, for there Feli stood wearing a simple gown meant for bed. He blushed and looked down. He was only wearing a shirt and sweatpants with his hair messily sticking to his face. Silently, he wished he looked better instead of untidy and unorganized.

She sat down next to him and looked into fire, a light blush on her face as well. Ludwig offered half of his blanket, to which she accepted with a light smile and moved _much_ closer to him. This did _not_ help as his face turned a light pink color.

"Feli, h-how are you doing?" he asked, starting simple and not wanting to scare her if he rushed out his questions.

"I'm okay. Much warmer now, ve." she replied. "I'm sorry I got you wet as well."

"Ah… I-it's no problem. I didn't help much either, falling in with you and not being able to set my balance properly."

"But you protected me! Thank you!"

His face was hot with a furious dark red color as she hugged him. It took him a minute to respond, but he slowly wrapped his arms around her. He softly sighed into her hair, closing his eyes and enjoying the extra warmth she provided. After what seemed like an eternity to him, he faced her by gently pulling them apart with his hands on her shoulders, giving her a seriously worried look.

"Feliciana." He stated her full name, to show how serious he was with what he was going to ask. Her face was a mixture of surprise and fear.

"I saw what you were doing earlier. I noticed the tear stains on your face." Her hands flew up to her face, as though to check and see if it was still there. "Why were you crying?" Ludwig asked quietly, placing a hand on her own, causing her to look down. It was silent for a long while, neither one of them moving an inch. Only the crackling of the fire was the sign of any life, for time had stood still. The rustling of the leaves from the trees could be heard... Ludwig was beginning to think it was not a good idea, asking this question, and wondered if he should apologize for being rude.

"Is… is it because of me?"

The maid quickly whipped her head up. "No! Not at all, Ludwig! You haven't done anything to me! Ve, in fact, you are really nice and kind to me. You are my best friend, there's no way I could ever hate you!" Ludwig flushed at the compliments, shyly turning his head a bit to the side.

"But…" Feli turned to look into the fire; her facial expressions became melancholy. "I was thinking about my parents," she whispered.

Ludwig turned; his eyes widened in surprise, not expecting that at all. He had heard not too much about what exactly happened to her parents and dared not mention it to her.

"Around Christmas time, we'd have a lot of fun. _Papà_ would be off work and _Mamma _and I would cook. It was really a happy time for us, since we could enjoy each other's company…" she trailed off. Ludwig saw tears spring from her eyes, rolling down her smooth cheeks.

"I just miss them so much… I really miss them…" She began to softly sob. Forgetting about his embarrassment, Ludwig pulled Feliciana into a hug, to which she graciously accepted and began wailing into his shirt. He brought the blanket around them and then tightened his arms around her ever so lightly, just enough to make her feel safe.

"I understand. I lost my parents too…"

Feli took a moment to look up, shocked. "You too?"

"Yeah… but I know they're safe and watching me from up _there_. They wouldn't want me to be sad… same thing with you. Your parents would want you to be happy. They wouldn't want you to be upset for them, for they are at peace and only wish the same for you. They love you, and will look over you, so it's not like they're really gone. My brother told me that they live in here," he moved an arm and pointed towards Feli's heart.

Feliciana placed a hand over her chest, thinking about it for a moment. Not long afterwards, she ducked her head back into Ludwig's chest, still crying but calmer. They stayed like that, both feeling a release of some kind from deep within. Ludwig thought maybe they had finally finished up their past about the deaths of their parents, finally being free from the sadness and guilt... but wasn't able to think it through as Feli pulled back and gave Ludwig an earnest smile.

"Ve, thank you. So very much, Ludwig." She moved closer and kissed both of his cheeks. He flushed and coughed to the other side while she gave a giggle. Unknowingly they both were thinking the same thing.

"_I'm glad I have someone like you here."_

* * *

***A/N:** Done! I updated within the week, just like I said! -Stands tall and proud- I won't be doing any work with this story until Monday. I'll be out of town on a trip~ Weeeeeeeeeeeee!

The timeline in this story right now is going by a few months at a time. Like, it was late spring/early summer in the first chapter, and the 2nd chapter was late summer/early autumn, and now it is winter. I should really work on this ^^;

And OMG over 400 hits? I am speechless!

**Translations: (please correct me if I'm wrong)**

_drágám? – Hungarian - darling?_

_Gott sei dank – German - thank God_

_Papà – Italian - Father_

_Mamma – Italian - Mother_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters!**_


	5. Potato Potato

**Part 1 ~*~ Chapter 4 ~*~ Potato Potato**

* * *

"Come on, Lovi! It'll be so much fun!" Antonio said, practically dragging the poor girl into the airplane.

"Why the hell am I going on this again?" Lovina asked, being placed next to the window a few seats down the aisle. Antonio sat in the seat next to her. "Because we're going to visit your sister~! You haven't seen her in a long while."

"Idiot, it's only been about half a year. Grandpa would take her on trips just a long! And this is your idea of fun? Going over to Feli's for New Years?"

"Yep!" the man replied with a cheerful smile.

Lovina looked away, a light blush up on her face. Not that she was blushing because of the idiot anyway! The man had to be a complete moron. Visiting Feli… though she would not tell Antonio to his face, she was actually very glad to be seeing her sister. Lovina truly missed her... even if she was just like the Spaniard next to her, all smiles and no brain cells.

She tugged her red coat closer and tried to stay warm in it. It had been a gift from Antonio for Christmas. It was obvious, with the tomato patches ironed onto the sleeves, because no other sane person would do that. Lovi was very happy with the gift… despite what she told Antonio, but he seemed to understand that she liked it somehow. Lovina shook her head, slowly turning it towards the man.

He was reading a brochure, also in a heavy coat but a tan color, wearing a bright red scarf she gave him as a present from Christmas. She had also tried to iron on tomato patches she found, but she nearly burnt the house down and is now forbidden to do anything without Antonio. _"So what if I didn't know how to really use the iron, it's the thought that counts! Besides, it was the iron's fault that it got caught in the curtains!" _Lovina angrily thought before the sound of the pilot's voice interrupted.

"Thank you for boarding! We'll be arriving in Vienna, Austria in five hours! Please be sure to buckle up as we begin to take off."

"Hey, Lovi! Let's play a game to pass the time! I spy with my little eye…"

It was going to be a _long_ ride.

They arrived in the mid-afternoon in a taxi, going directly to where Feliciana was now living. Lovina would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous, which she wasn't! It was just… it had been a long time and what if Feli didn't remember her? What if Feli didn't like her sister living with their Grandfather's friend that she barely remembers?

_"That's impossible. They're almost the same!" _she thought as she walked up to the front door (Damn, this place was huge!) with Antonio.

As Antonio knocked on the door, Lovina started to grow anxious. Her fists were clamped tight and small beads of sweat appeared on her face. _"What if...! What if...!"_

Before even seeing the man move, Antonio leaned down to her and placed a quick kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry, it'll be fine." He whispered, showing her one of his famous smiles before turning back to the door. Her stomach dropped as she stared at him and placed her hand on her forehead where the kiss had just been not a moment ago.

"_How can he do that so easily?"_

The door opened to reveal a servant, who escorted them inside the living room. Only after walking in did the girl have a new worry: the mansion was ginormous! Even bigger and nicer than where she and Antonio lived! How in the hell is she going to be able to find her way around here? While looking around, Antonio placed his hand upon her head.

"Behave, remember?"

"O-of course, idiot."

Then, from the large entryway to the left, appeared Roderich, wearing a classy purple suit with his auburn hair styled up. Elizabeta appeared from behind him in a long green dress with an orange apron; her long brown hair was flowing behind her. The two began to chat with her and Antonio (mostly Antonio) but Lovina was uninterested. She had met the two before when she was younger and was only interested in one person…

Lovina heard a squeak and barely had enough time to react to the girl that crushed her in a bear hug. When Lovina noticed the curl, similar to her own, she smiled. There was Feliciana, squealing loudly into her ear about many things at once.

"_Did she get taller?" _Lovina thought. But then again, she got taller as well. _"And since when was she this strong?"_

"-and I'm so glad you came! It really has been a long time, _sorella!_" Feliciana finished, taking her sister's hands into her own and jumping with joy. Lovina could only beam back at the cheerful creature. Though Feli could get really annoying with her talks of pasta and oh-so-freakin'-wonderful things that made her happy in happyland, she was glad her sister was okay... not that she was ever concerned, damn it!

"I'm glad you two caught up!" Antonio said, walking towards them with the Edelsteins behind him. Lovina shrugged as Feli, who had been preoccupied with her sister, noticed the Spaniard and ran to him with her arms straight forward.

"Big brother Antonio~! Ve!" She yelled, jumping into his arms as he picked her up and spun her in a circle.

But… seeing Antonio with her sister, looking like that, Lovina was feeling… _jealous?_ She pouted and pointed her head away from the spinning wonderfulness of cheerfulness and flowers. Why should she concern herself with the tomato idiot?

"You're so cute, Feli! You're growing up into a very pretty young lady!"

"Ve, thank you! Mr. Roderich and Mrs. Elizabeta are very nice to me and I sometimes get pasta with nice tomato sauce! And Ludwig is also very kind to me even if he's scary at times!"

Wait.

"Ludwig?" Both Antonio and Lovina questioned at the same time. For a brief moment they looked at each other in surprise of speaking at the same time, but turned their eyes to the Edelsteins.

"Ah," Roderich started to speak. "You should remember our _dear friend_ Gilbert, right, Antonio?"

"Of course I remember _mi amigo_!" Antonio's smile got wider if possible. "Is he here?"

"No. He... joined the army..." Roderick expressed a growl in his voice that Lovina couldn't place. And for a split second, Lovina thought she saw Antonio's facial features fall; hints of depression and sadness appeared. Lovina didn't know that the man could be unhappy… and didn't like it. But before she could put any words to that, in just another second he was back as though that face had never existed. "_What's up with him?"_

"Oh… I... I see. So! Where is Ludwig? Last time I saw him was when I was visiting Gil's parents back in Germany and Ludwig was only a _bebé_!"

Oh, yes. The boy that was apparently living with her sister; Lovina _didn't_ like this at all. She mouthed the word bathroom to Antonio, who had pointed her in the general direction with a nod and continued to talk. Lovina didn't even hear the answer to the question as she ran off.

Stupid fool! She needed to find this Ludwig boy and give him a piece of her mind before he corrupts her precious sister's! She walked down the hallways, hoping to try and get a glimpse of the boy, but… _"does this hallway look familiar?"_ Lovina thought.

"_Oh no…"_

She just got lost in this Austrian's house with no one around! _"Just brilliant, Lovina. Merda!"_

Luckily, she faintly heard the sound of someone grunting in frustration just down the hall. A person!

She high-tailed it out of there, running at a pace that seemed inhumane. At this point, Lovina was just glad to hear someone in this damn house! Her hearing took her to a room with the door already opened. She stood at the corner and peered into the room.

A boy, wearing a rolled up blue shirt and brown pants with his blonde hair down, sat near the center of the room on a wooden stool. The whole room was white, covered with plastic; tons of paint and artwork scattered about messily. Some canvases in the corner were already painted, some covered. The boy sat there with his hand on his forehead. The painting in front of him was half-finished. It was of a girl in a sunny field with a green dress blowing in the wind. It wasn't bad, but could obviously be seen as a novice. But what really seized Lovina's attention the most was the curl coming from her head...

It was then that Lovina's clumsiness caught onto her as she tripped over her own two feet while trying to get a better look, and fell to the ground. The boy turned in surprise, and rushed over to help her up. Lovina pouted at him as he tried to help her up by her elbow.

"I'm fine, geez!"

The boy's eyes widened, but nodded. He then blushed and quickly (but carefully) covered his painting and put it away in a cabinet. He paused after shutting it, slowly turning his head to Lovina.

"Did... did you see it?"

_German_, Lovina recognized. She looked into his blue eyes, staring down at him, even if he was taller. What did he take her for, a fool?

"Of course I did! Why on Earth were you-"

"I'm sorry! It was supposed to be a surprise for you sometime later, Feli!"

Lovina broke apart at that. That was something she did _not_ like. She was _not_ anything like Feliciana! "You idiot! Feliciana is my _sister!_"

Flushed with embarrassment, Ludwig began to stutter, only making the livid Italian angrier than before.

"I'm Lovina Vargas, Feliciana's older sister, you stupid potato!" she yelled, pointing a finger at him.

"Wha... potato?"

"Yes, potato! You're painfully German and they love that crap! Along with those gross sausages they love to eat! Such bad tastes!"

"Hey, potatoes are great! A-and _wurst_ is very good! If you're really Feli's sister then I bet you love pasta, pasta freak!"

Lovina gasped. "Okay, that's it! I'm done with this BS!"

She lounged at Ludwig fist first. He easily dodged, (being trained by his brother and grandfather on fighting techniques, though Lovina did not know). A kick aimed for Lovina's stomach, but she was fast and evaded the attack by jumping back. Lovina then charged forward once again, yelling as she ran-

"Ah!"

A pair of strong and tan arms wrapped around her. Antonio lifted the girl up, farther away from Ludwig who looked up in surprise.

"Let me go, damn it!" she struggled.

"NO!"

Lovina stopped twisting for a moment. Antonio was... yelling at her? This _had_ to be the potato's fault! "You are a guest at this house and you must treat them with respect, including Ludwig! Now, I want you to apologize!"

Antonio gave her a hard, stern look. Both pairs of eyes met, green and amber, both trying their hardest to show their meanest look. Antonio's eyes flickered to something that for a moment terrified Lovina, but she quickly turned her head the other way and huffed. She returned her attention to Ludwig... she _hated_ seeing that side of Antonio.

"Look potato. I'm sorry for hitting you." There was nothing apologetic in her voice or tone, but Ludwig didn't look like he really cared much about it, and in return also muttered an apology.

"BUT!" Lovina frowned at him, staring down with all the hatred she could muster up. "Don't. Hurt. Feli. If I learn that you hurt her in any way-"

"I won't." Ludwig answered confidently.

Lovina stared at him. _"What the hell is this potato person? Like hell I'll let you take care of my sister."_ Antonio placed Lovina back on the ground, who immediately moved to his side, staying as far away from Ludwig as possible.

Feliciana came running in, oblivious to the annoyed face on Lovi and the looks of the other two boys (Ludwig slightly confused at what exactly happened and Antonio now sighing), yelling that dinner was ready. She then proceeded to take Ludwig's hand, of which he blushed and looked away, and also grabbed hold of Lovina's hand who huffed even more when her guardian grabbed her other hand. They walked down to the dining room like that, "_hand in hand like a sappy friendship movie_" Lovina thought.

* * *

***A/N: **Another chapter done! Yay! So a few things to say, I guess. Over 600 hits! :D Thanks you, that's really nice of you guys! Makes me feel all giddy! By the way, I know the title seems stupid, but I was thinking POH-TATE-OH, POH-TAT-OH. Ya know? Kind of stupid since people don't read like that XD

Everyone has heard about the earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan. There are several donations and funds started (at least here in the U.S.) such as the Red Cross. If you have some time and money, please donate.

I'm sorry that I ended up writing about the whole, grandfather spent more time with one sibling thing ;A; maybe I should have changed that… With the Edelsteins and Antonio, Lovi and Feli have both met them before. Feli doesn't remember much of Antonio 'cause she's only seen him once when she was young, but has heard much about him from her Grandpa (and now from Lovi). The Edelsteins would visit every year or so at the Vargas house, so the sisters both remember them well.

Translations: Please let me know if I am incorrect.

_sorella – Italian - older sister_

_merda – Italian - shit_

_mi amigo – Spanish - my friend_

_bebé – Spanish - baby_

_wurst - German – German sausage_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters!**_


	6. Obtaining Proper Information

**Part 1 ~*~ Chapter 5 ~*~ Obtaining Proper Information**

* * *

It was a beautiful February morning in the streets of southern Italy as the rain lightly fell. The sun was hidden by a veil of clouds, allowing no warmth to come through. The people of Italy were cleared from the streets, being that it was the time for siestas. All in all, it felt very light; an odd sort of comfort in a weird way.

That made it all the more reason for Ivan Braginski to hate it.

He was currently out in this… disgusting weather to make a deal (He'd much prefer the sunlight with its warmth and maybe a few sunflowers; not that he couldn't handle cold weather.) He needed to find the Vargas, any of them, and though he was willing to do almost anything to find them, he didn't mind if he had to wait a while. Thus there he was, waiting outside a broken run-down ice cream factory in the middle of a rainy afternoon to personally greet his guest.

As he was standing there in his long beige trench coat and lavender scarf, running a gloved hand run through his platinum blond locks as he hummed a tune, a man came from the shadows not too far from him. Small, lean, and a black fedora donned on his head, he was dressed in simple slacks with a red shirt showing from underneath his intricate dragon-styled jacket. He had long brown-black hair tied back in a ponytail and had dark, slanted eyes.

The man walked up to him (who was much shorter to Ivan in comparison) and gave him a curt nod, to which Ivan replied with a smile.

"It is nice to see you once more. It's been such a long time since we last saw each other! But anyways, you are here for the deal, _da_?" His Russian accent rang out, smiling at the smaller man.

"Yes. It really has been a while, hasn't it?"

Ivan turned and waved his hand towards the factory. "Well, come now! We have lots to catch up on!" They walked into the old dusty place. It had been years since the factory was last used. Several of the machines were broken down, the paint on the wall chipped and had several holes in them, and overall was just gloomy-looking.

They went down several hallways before going into a private office near the center of the building. The room only held a broken desk with two chairs. A small amount of light shined through the shades of the window from behind the desk, overlooking the main production room.

The Russian sat down in the chair behind the desk as his guest took the nearby chair, hands folded and legs crossed.

"So, Mr. Yao Wang, before we catch up on old times, tell me what information you have. When you contacted my mafia, you said you had the information I need?" Ivan crossed his hands as he gave a hard stare at Yao.

"Yes, Mr. Braginski."

Ivan placed his hand to his head, shaking. "_Ну, что_! There is no need for formalities; we know each other well enough."

"You are talking of the past though. We are on a break, _Braginski_."

Still smiling, the large man leaned back. "It is only for a short while. We'll be back to what that was in only a few weeks." His grin sent shivers down Yao's spine. "But… back to our current issue, you have my information, _Wang_? You have always been very resourceful."

"That's because I am head of the Chinese mafia. Which reminds me, how did you managed to control the Italian mafia? You are head of the Russian Underground mafia and I see no connection between the two."

The Russian held a sinister look in that smiling child-like face. "It was nothing really. The old Italian head left and I took control before anyone else could. And speaking of that head…"

"Romulus Vargas, right?"

"_Da. _What do you know?"

Yao took out a notebook from his coat and scrutinized the writing.

"My sources say that he managed to find out the burning of his home while he was out and arrived to the scene late. Went in… came back out with his grandchildren... son and daughter-in-law are dead... managed to escape from most mafia members. Except my younger step-brother, Yong Soo Im, who managed to follow him from a distance." He gave a pause and looked at Ivan straight in the face.

"He was able to contact some friends of his and gave away his grandchildren: a curly haired, somewhat built man and a slender, pale-looking fellow with glasses. He then ran off and met up with a few other mafia members, but he was able to kill them and continued on. We believe he's currently hiding in Germany with an old pal of his, though we are not certain of this information."

"Hmm…" Ivan pondered for a moment. "Which friend?"

"Aldrich Beilschmidt." Yao said as he looked back at the notebook.

"And do you know the people who took the _внуки_?"

The Chinese man looked Ivan in the eye, his facial features scrunched up a bit. "No. We have ideas; leads, but no actual information at this point and time. Romulus had _thousands_ of people he could have trusted their lives to. It will take a while, no doubt, to try and find them. Even a few years because of all the possible leads. Romulus was always fantastic at hiding evidence, but we will find them. _Wǒ bǎozhèng._"

Ivan got up and walked over to Yao, placing a hand on his shoulder. They gave each other an understanding nod, and Ivan left the room. Yao stayed for a few more minutes in the near darkness, a question forming in his mind.

"_What exactly does Ivan want?"_

* * *

"Brother, why are you doing this?"

Yao sighed. He wanted to go home and enjoy a nice, quiet evening thinking. That plan was ruined as his younger sister, Mei, was angrily waiting at the front door.

"You go off, telling me you were going to just sight-see Italy and then Yong Soo told me that you went to see that damn Russian!"

Yao looked at her and her piercing brown eyes were shooting daggers at him. Her hair was wavy brown and was down to her hips. She was now shaking a fist at him, her traditional Taiwanese pink dress shaking as well while she continued to yell. Unlike Yong Soo, Mei had no idea about their connections to the mafia, and Yao preferred it to stay that was as long as he possibly could. Yao held up a hand, though she continued to go on as though she had not seen it.

Raising his voice over hers, he yelled "I owe him for one, Mei! And two, what I do is my business!"

"And that man can't be trusted! He's just- wait. You owe him… for what?"

"Remember Yong Soo's accident? I didn't tell you at the time, but I didn't get him out of that mess, Ivan did. _RMB_ and all."

Yao's sister fell silent for a brief moment, taking in the information before her face was quickly replaced by anger once more. "But it's Ivan! I have to worry! He creeps me out!"

"Look," Yao held Mei's hand and brought her closer. "Ivan is like that because of past experiences, mainly from family problems, but underneath that is something else. Like a child that's trapped."

"I still can't believe you dated him once before."

"Because I was grateful to him for what he did! That's the only attachment I have with him. I told him we're on a break away from each other… " Yao looked down. "I don't know what exactly my feelings are. I'm just as creeped out as you, but at the same time it's the complete opposite… he just needs somebody to help clear his mind. I want to help him go down the right path. You have that same issue with that kid from Hong Kong, right?"

"Xiang… yeah… I get what you mean. You're such an old man, geez! Just try not to get hurt in the end! He really is a creep!" She smiled, lightly punching Yao's shoulder.

"Thank you, Mei."

* * *

***A/N: **Almost 1,000 hits? Thank you so much! Reviews are always welcomed as well~!

Yes fangirls, China and Russia were in a past relationship and is kinda not really but sorta is still in one? Who knows. And what exactly was S. Korea's accident?  
Kind of a short chapter T.T Next one is definitely longer! And I apologize for not updating or anything. Fanfiction wouldn't take anything! D: No new stories, documents, or chapters! Fanfiction is trolling me, I just know it.

EDIT: I'm such an idiot, I just remembered that 's name westernized is Yong Soo Im *facepalm* I am so sorry, I really need to double check on these things!

**Translations: Please correct my Russia if I am wrong, thank you!**

_Da? – Russian - Right?_

_Ну, что! – Russian - Oh, come now!_

_внуки – Russian - grandchildren_

_Wǒ bǎozhèng – Mandarin Chinese Pinyin - I guarantee_

_RMB – Mandarin Chinese Pinyin - Chinese Currency_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters!**_


	7. The Perfect Gift

**Part 1 ~*~ Chapter 6 ~*~ The Perfect Gift**

* * *

Ludwig could hardly believe that it had been almost a year since he first met Feliciana, and if he tried to think of a happier time, he really couldn't. The girl had this… effect on him like no other. And though he felt nervous about it, butterflies and all, it was a comfort for him. Something much different than from everyone else he had ever met before. She just… lifted his spirits so much with only a simple smile or laugh, and Ludwig couldn't explain this feeling he felt.

It was that feeling he had when he was out in the market with Elizabeta shopping, trying to find the "perfect" birthday present. Feli was going to be ten on that Friday, March 17th, and for some reason Ludwig wanted to give her something very special.

He had already been in the market for quite some time, finding nothing to give the girl. Elizabeta already picked out her gift: a giant stuffed bear and a few pasta cookbooks.

"You could give her some artsy things. You know she loves that stuff." Elizabeta said. Ludwig looked down, his cheeks turning pink.

"I know. It's just… I want to make it something she can't ever forget about. Not even years from now." He confessed. She smiled and gave a pat on his back. "It's because you like her so much!"

Ludwig turned the color of a tomato and stared at her with his mouth wide open. She started to laugh and lightly jogged away, leaving Ludwig dumfounded.

"I-I… Wha? I don't… _Elizabeta_!"

She yelled back to him, "You can just get some paints for now! You can always make something for her later~!"

He sighed. The paint option was better than his currently plan in which he currently had nothing to give as a present. As the German walked towards Elizabeta, he couldn't stop thinking about her words earlier as they repeated in his head like a soft echo.

_"It's because you like her so much."_

Was that it? The reason behind the feeling, the blushing, the need to protect her when she got in trouble by Roderick for eating all the food? _Because he liked her?_

The more he thought of it on the way back to the Edelstein mansion with Elizabeta a few hours later, the more it seemed to fit.

_"I like her…"_

And at arriving at the mansion, there she was at the door waving her hand furiously with a smile on her face. Ludwig gave a small smile as he answered back to her call. She looked surprised and ran to him. "You're smiling, ve! Ludwig always looks great with a smile on his face!"

Ludwig stuttered for a moment and then promptly face palmed, trying to hide away the accursed blushing.

* * *

A couple of hours later, it was almost time for Feliciana's birthday party to start (which was just a simple celebration dinner with the family of four) and Ludwig still couldn't think of that perfect gift. He obviously couldn't come up with something as he laid back on his bed and closed his eyes for a moment.

He started thinking back to his own birthday, celebrated with his family back in Germany so many years ago…

* * *

_"Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag Ludwig!" yelled Ludwig's family, a teenage Gilbert being the loudest._

_Ludwig smiled and blew out the seven candles laid sticking up from the chocolate circular cake. He looked up to his parents, both of which had short blonde hair and light colored eyes. Gilbert looked over to Ludwig with his dark, red eyes, the albino's lips curved into a smirk. "So open your gifts! C'mon, open them! Just rip the paper off of it, you don't need to save it!"_

_And thus Ludwig opened his gifts: some clothes, a picture of him and his brother, and a few books. After properly thanking his family, his vati held up his hand as if to say "wait." From his pocket, he retrieved a small box wrapped in red with a gold bow tied expertly around the tiny gift. When Ludwig opened this, he saw two chain necklaces with an iron cross pendant on each of them._

_"They're kind of like an heirloom," His mutti said. "They also represent your heritage. Wear it proudly as a German." Gilbert flashed his necklace, identical to the ones given to Ludwig. _

_"But… you gave me two. What am I to do with the other one?" His vati placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a warm, serious look._

_"We actually found the other one recently in a drawer upstairs buried beneath quite a few old items. Your mutti and I decided to give this to you on one condition… this one is to be given to someone who has taken this," he pointed at Ludwig's chest, towards his heart. __"Geben Sie diese an jemand Besonderes. Jemand, der Ihnen ein Gefühl kann man nicht beschreiben."_

_Gilbert joked that it would confide his soul to another's and make him a slave to that person for all eternity and that he had to claim their "vital regions" if he wanted out. Their mutti smacked him upside the head._

_"I can't wait for the day when someone will finally catch you." She joked, giving Gilbert a smirk to rival his own._

_"If they can even handle this awesome piece of awesomeness! Kesese!_

_His parents laugh at the comment with his older bruder cackling. Ludwig smiles and chuckles along with the laughter of everyone else…_

* * *

Ludwig enclosed his hand around the iron cross necklace he had taken out from underneath his shirt. He stood up and reached over to his bedside table and opened the drawer. Reaching his hand inside, he pulled out a small, blue silk cloth and opened it.

The other iron cross.

He smiled and quickly ran out of the room, the necklace wrapped neatly back into the blue handkerchief in his pocket.

* * *

Later on after all the delicious food (Ludwig didn't think he'd even seen so much pasta scarfed down in just under a half hour by a small, petite girl!) and the opening of Feliciana's gifts (she responded ecstatically to them all, expressing her gratitude repetitively), Ludwig and Feli were walking through the house together.

It was beginning to get dark and Elizabeta and Roderich had left the two to head to bed early (Elizabeta was talking about not wanting to ruin a "special moment" as she dragged Roderich away). Deciding to spend some time outside before getting some shut eye, Ludwig and Feliciana went through the back door and walked over to an open patch of grass a little aways from the mansion. The lights from the house were far away, so a clear view of the starlit sky was open to them.

They were on their backs, side by side, still in their day clothes. Ludwig didn't want to lay down at first, but Feliciana's puppy dog eyes were too much for him. He couldn't say no to that.

Wind softly caressed their faces as the clouds moved about to give them a good view. It was a clear night with a half-moon out, no humane lights in sight. The stars were breathtaking as Ludwig tried to look at each one carefully. Sparkling in the sky like each little dot was a glistening white tear drop, looking ever so close that he could almost touch them if he reached.

Ludwig turned his head to Feliciana and saw her gaping at the view, saying "pretty" under her breath every few minutes. She was like the stars in a way. There was always that bubbly personality on the outside that shined so brightly outwards that many people would want to just watch and stare with awe and care for as though she was very fragile. But there was this other side of her that wanted to cry about her family, and talk of how depressing everything had become and of the distance now between her and her sister. She didn't show this side and it was rare if it did occur, mainly because she didn't want to bother other with a problem that just couldn't be solved at the present time. It was just like how the stars would hide during the day… they looked like they only exist during the night, but they are always present.

He shook his thoughts, trying to think of the task at hand. Ludwig hadn't given her the necklace yet; he was too afraid of Elizabeta cooing at them and teasing him from a distance.

After a few minutes of chatting about the constellations, there was a moment of complete silence. Finally gaining the confidence inside of him to take action, Ludwig grabbed her hand while he sat up. She followed suit, with a confused expression on her face.

"I… I also have another p-present… to give you."

She tilted her head. "Another? But you've already given me such wonderful paints!"

"I know, but… I wanted... to give you something… special."

He brought out the necklace from the blue wrap, glistening and shining, and put it around her neck with slightly trembling hands. _"Her face is so close!" _He thought.

Slowly he pulled back and waited for her response. Feli looked down and inspected the cross with both of her hands, turning it from side to side.

"It was a gift… from my parents. They told me to give it to someone special."

She looked up at him in surprise. Her eyes started to swell as tears fell across her cheeks.

_"W-Why is she crying? What did I do wrong?" _Ludwig started to panic. Did she not like it? Did she-

But his thoughts were cut short as she threw herself at him, her head buried into his shoulder and her arms wrapped tightly around the boy.

"_Grazie!_ Oh Ludwig, _grazie, grazie, grazie_! I'll wear it every day like yours! Oh, thank you Ludwig!"

Then she did something Ludwig couldn't have thought of ever happening from a moment like this. She grabbed his face and kissed both his cheeks. Ludwig placed a hand on where her lips just were a moment ago.

_She kissed me…_

He turned bright red and turned his head a little, the smile never leaving his face. She looked back at him, a big smile on her face and a light blush. After a few seconds they both laid back down, but the difference was how much closer they were and the smiling faces. Their hands were intertwined and Ludwig couldn't have asked for a more perfect moment.

* * *

***A/N: **Luck just isn't on my side you guys -.-; about two weeks ago, my computer completely malfunctioned on me and now I'm left with no computer. Only internet I can get is from my itouch and my mom's work computer, which I obviously can't use much. I have all my files from all my stories, so that's no problem. I've actually been writing much more to it and typing it up at school when I can, so all I really need to do is have it checked over and then find a working computer to add it to FanFiction!

Which, btw, does anyone know what's now going on with the site? It won't let me submit new documents D': And I only have 6 documents in it! _AND THE SILLY YOU CAN'T POST NEW STORIES IS STILL AFFECTING ME ARRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH_

And another btw, Hima-papa is so amazing for that April Fool's~! And the requests! I sometimes wonder about you fans :P

And with that, I have no idea when I can update. Next chance I'll get at a computer for over an hour I shall! -Determined- But I'll let you guys know: Next chapter is a big development for our little Lovi as well~

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia in any way possible**

**Translations: please correct me if I'm wrong with my German!**

**German:**

_"Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag Ludwig!"_ - "Happy Birthday Ludwig!"

_Vati_ - Father

_Mutti_ – Mother

_Bruder - _Brother

_Geben Sie diese an jemand Besonderes. Jemand, der Ihnen ein Gefühl kann man nicht beschreiben_ - Give this to someone special. Someone that gives you a feeling you can't describe

**Italian:**

_Grazie!_ - Thank you!


	8. Whirl of Emotions

**Part 1 ~*~ Chapter 7 ~*~ Whirl of Emotions**

* * *

The summer's sweltering hot sun blinded Antonio as he headed back towards his house from the fields. He was done with the harvesting for the day and the animals had been all taken care of, finally giving him some time to talk to Lovina and to eat dinner with her as they normally do.

The first thing he noticed when he walked inside his home was the lack of a young girl's voice yelling for him for one reason or another. She was inside earlier today, he noticed, finishing up her homework with her home school teacher, Bella.

Bella was a close friend of Antonio's, who had kept close contact with him even after moving back to her homeland, Belgium, when they were young. She recently moved back to Spain, living with her older brother, due to better teaching jobs available here. And when she learned of the little girl living with Antonio after calling him to let him know she was back, Bella offered to teach her and babysit if Antonio ever needed to do business outside of town. He was very lucky to have a friend like her.

But the blonde haired, green-eyed Belgium native left an hour ago, and now it was 6 o'clock with no Lovi in sight. So Antonio began to explore the other side of the field, searching high and low for the little girl. He found her out by a tree near the house with a blue plastic pool at her feet, wearing a red one piece bathing suit with a white shirt over her top half and a straw hat covering her head.

As she was messing with the hose from the house, Antonio started to make his way over. She must've been hot too, with the weather like this. Halfway there, things became hectic for the girl as the hose head flew off, now out of control like a slippery snake as water was sprayed into the air and all around. Lovina flung her hands about and her expression becoming horrified when she couldn't catch it.

Quickly running over, Antonio jumped and trapped the hose with his foot, but caused the slippery thing to spray water all over Lovina, drenching her from head to foot.

Carefully and swiftly he pulled the hose up, fixed it, and placed it in the plastic pool. Then he ran over to the faucet to turn the water down a bit. Antonio turned around and smiled at Lovina. Yelling to her, he said, "Whew! That was tough~! Are you okay, Lovi?"

She glared at him and gestured to her shirt and hat. "I'm soaking wet, dammit!" Antonio's face fell slightly. "Then why are you wearing a bathing suit if you weren't prepared to get wet? And have the pool out?"

"I was wearing this thing earlier because it was so damn hot! I only wanted to cool off some, not at all like this!"

The Spaniard chuckled as he turned the water off; the pool was a little more than halfway filled as he walked over towards it. He stepped into it, taking off his sweaty tan shirt and placing it to the side along with his shoes, keeping his brown shorts on.

It truly was hot! And with Antonio already sweaty, the water was inviting him like a kid to ice cream. He leaned back; both arms draped around the sides of the small pool as he sighed. Antonio turned to Lovina, whose face was bright red with her fists clenched up, and blinked.

He said, "Lovi looks so adorable~! Like a tomato!"

Lovina huffed, stomping her right foot. "I'm not a tomato!"

"You should join me!" Antonio said, motioning his hand for her to come in. "That _was_ why you got this out, right?" He smiled brightly at her.

After she quietly whispered "Fine, tomato bastard," she took off her shirt and joined him in the water. After settling in, they stayed there like that for a short while, just enjoying the nice cold water with the warm weather. The fluffy white clouds rolled along while the sun slowly started to slip off into the horizon. The two made some small talk while in the water, talking about the profit from the farm to Lovina's schooling, and then began to just listen to the wind blowing. Antonio lazily opened one eye and looked towards Lovina who was staring at the clouds. "_I really... need to talk to her about some things. Maybe I should ask Bella later? No, she's done so much for me already! Maybe if I casually bring it up?"_ The Spaniard sat up a little, scooting towards the girl until they were almost next to one another.

"Hey, Lovi?" Antonio asked, trying to gain her attention. She turned her head sluggishly towards him with her eyes shut.

"What?"

"Well, you're twelve years old now."

"Yeah? What of it?"

"You're growing taller and becoming more mature. I want to... hmm... that doesn't sound right… ahh… well..."

"Just spit it out already!" Lovina yelled, starting to get irritated.

Antonio smiled brightly. "Let's go shopping for clothes later!"

She gave him an I-can't-believe-what-you-just-said look. _"…Cosa?"_

"Well, you are getting bigger and your clothes now are starting to become short. You're starting to grow up a bit more." he answered. The girl looked down and shrugged.

"What, do you expect me to stay the same size forever?"

"It would be_ so_ cute-"

"Chigi!" Lovina shouted, head butting the man in his stomach. Antonio's head whipped back; his arms automatically wrapped around his stomach as he felt pain from the attack.

She angrily got out of the pool, huffing and puffing as she went. "You are such a pervert, tomato bastard!"

Antonio sat up after a few minutes, still clutching his stomach. "_Oh_, _her head-butt was powerful!"_ He watched her as she entered the house, slamming the back door shut. He gave a light chuckle as he got out as well. Slowly, he placed the hose back into its holder near the side of the house and dumped the pool, placing it against his house. Antonio gazed back up into the darkening sky.

"_She didn't let me finish. I only thought that because she's growing up so quickly…" _Antonio thought as he walked towards his house.

Lovina decided to go shopping with the damned idiot. Not that she wanted to! She _did_ need new clothes, but she definitely wasn't going because of Antonio, dammit!

She ran down the hallway and went towards his room, wanting to announce that she was ready and that he shouldn't be taking this long to get prepared. Right before her hand could even touch the doorknob, she heard laughter. _"What's that idiot doing in there?"_ Lovina thought to herself while she leaned into the door, pressing her ear hard against it. Not that she needed to know, she just had to make sure the idiot wasn't selling her or anything of the sort!

"That's fantastic, Elizabeta! Isn't Feli so_ lindo_ when she does things like that~? … Ha ha! True, true."

Lovina sighed. "Oh…"

It was about Feliciana.

"_Feli this, Feli that. Look what Feli painted! Isn't it adorable? Look what Feli did a few minutes ago! Oh, isn't she just precious? It's always about Feliciana!"_ Lovina thought angrily, sliding back against the door and hugging her knees tightly. "_I can be like Feli if I wanted to! So what if she got a little more pampered or was better at things I couldn't do… There are a lot of things I can do to! Like… like… nothing, damn it!"_

Tears silently fell onto her cheeks. She wiped them away furiously as soon as they appeared, detesting the fact that she was crying about a comparison between her and her whiny, sissy little sister. Lovina stood up, checking herself over that there was no trace of the watery substance on her, and gently opened the door a little to peek inside.

While she had been crying and thinking, Antonio had finished up the call and was seated on his bed putting on his shoes. He heard the door and turned his upper body to her, flashing a smile like the idiot he was.

"Almost done, Lovi~!" And with a quick twist of the tie, his shoe was laced. He grabbed his wallet and Lovina's hand _("Non mi toccare, bastardo!" she yelled)_ on their way out.

About a half hour later, they arrived at the local market. It was packed full of people, despite it being late into the afternoon. Many venders were out, yelling about how great their prices were and sales. Lovina was getting a headache from all the screaming. And the bastard only laughed at her and said that was how some people communicate. Well, in her opinion they should all shut their mouths to give her a moment of silence.

After walking around for a bit, they had found a lot of new clothing for Lovina and a few shirts for Antonio as well. They were in a jewelry store now, because Antonio had pulled Lovina in, even when she exclaimed to him that she had nothing she wanted from inside the store.

The Spaniard wanted to get something nice for Lovina, he claimed. Like hell Lovina needed anything nice! _"But it is a nice gesture…"_ she briefly thought before yelling out at him once again. He went looking around the store and came back to Lovina fairly quickly, who decided to sit by the door instead of looking around. He had two necklaces in his hands.

One had a bright red tomato pendant hanging off a silver chain. The other had a Lily flower pendant on it with a similar silver chain.

Lovina couldn't help but stare at them. They were very pretty! … Not that she thought it was amazing or anything, it was just the way the band sparkled in the light is all.

"I'll get this one for you," Antonio said, pointing to the tomato. "And I'll get the other for cute little Feli!"

Lovina froze. There it was again.

_Feliciana, __Feliciana, __Feliciana!_

Lovina's hand curved into a fist and her head dropped down, her bangs covering a portion of her eyes.

"I'll go pay for these, so stay right here. I'll be right back." Antonio smiled once more, not noticing her movements or behavior before he walked in the opposite direction and began to talk to the cashier. But by the time he started to move away from her, Lovina had decided.

She couldn't take it anymore.

Tired of being discouraged because of her sister who was always going to be seemingly better at her in everything, she sprinted out the door, barely hearing the tomato bastard's yelling voice.

She ran, past the crowds, shops and animals in the street. The Italian made a few turns here and there until her legs started to get tired and her sight becoming blurry. Just as she was starting to stop, she tripped over a rock and fell on her face.

Cursing at the rock, Lovina tried to get up but there was a throbbing pain in her right ankle. "_Just great, dammit!" _Whimpering lightly from the pain, she limped to the nearest alleyway and sat in the darkness, careful of her foot. She hadn't noticed that she was already crying.

"_It's his fault!" _she thought. _"Why do people always think so highly of my sister? I hate that! What am I, leftover potatoes? What the hell!? They all liked Feliciana better!" _She placed her head between her legs. _"… Even Antonio…"_

She didn't know how much time had passed since she ran, but the sun was slowly descending downward, a soft pink color spreading across the marketplace. The tears became more profound as a new realization hit her: she was lost.

"_Stupid Antonio… come save me, dammit…"_

_..._

"LOVINA!"

She gasped and turned her head to the right. There he was, the stupid bastard, running around franticly. Antonio's face was a mixture of worry and horror as he went by, stopping for a brief second every once in a while to question the people still in the street. Lovina moved more in the darkness. _"Why the hell should he even care about me?" _She covered her head and curved into a ball, crying some more. _"There's no way that I ever did anything right to make him care for me..."_

"Lovina! Where are you?! LOVINA!"

The bastard kept going around; he was not going to give up as far as Lovina could see and silently, she secretly prayed he would find her. Antonio started to run past Lovina's spot, but something had crossed his eye. He turned around to see her hair curl sticking out the side of the alleyway. He only took a few steps in and saw her figure outlined in the shadow, her arms wrapped around her legs. She eyed him wearily.

"Lovina!" He rushed to her and gathered her up into his lap as he sat down on the warm cobblestone road.

"_Oh, Dios mío!_, I thought I lost you for good when I couldn't find yo-"

"Shut up." her voiced wavered as she tried to stop hiccupping. He pulled apart from her and looked at her. "What?"

_"Stai zitto!_ You don't really care about me!"

He gave her an appalled look. "Of course I do, Lovi! Why would you even think that?"

Lovina gave him the best glare she could muster up; the tears staining her red puffy cheeks made it hard to properly glare at him. "It's always Feli, Feli, Feli! You guys don't need to rub it in, the fact that she's better than me and more behaved and cuter, and has better qualities-"

"Lovina Romana Vargas, you do have a lot of redeeming qualities! _Don't you think that for one second!"_ Lovina couldn't find her voice for a moment as Antonio gave her a serious look. Calling her by her full name meant that he wasn't joking around. And for a moment it scared her, but she eased up a bit when he gave her a small smile.

"You look really pretty when you honestly smile. Even if you have a potty mouth, you'll speak your opinion loud and proud, and even if you don't I can tell how you feel just with one look. You only say hurtful things to cover what you are really feeling because you don't want anyone to worry. You're great at cooking and you stand up for yourself! You're cute like a tomato! That _has _to be a great quality to look like the best fruit on the planet when you are blushing!"

Lovina was taken aback for a moment. Antonio… thought highly of her?

"But… Feliciana-"

"I like Feli, but I love you, Lovina." His facial features became softer as he gazed at her with those green eyes of his. She felt her cheeks reddening and felt her stomach twist and turn…

Lovina remained silent, unable to form words to express what she was feeling. Antonio smiled knowingly and placed her back on the ground. "Are you okay now?" Not trusting her voice, she nodded. He got up and offered his hand to her. Lovina felt a genuine smile grace her face and she reached her hand up to his. He looked surprised for a moment, as though he had never seen a person smile like that. Matching her own, his lips curved up. After her hand was in his, he pulled.

And Lovina fell to the ground, giving a light scream as she remembered the pain in her ankle.

"Lovi!"

He bent down and inspected her foot, gently pulling back the shoe. It had swollen and turned red. "I think it's broken… here, climb on." Antonio said, turning around and exposing his back to her, his hand out behind him to help her to get on.

With Antonio's help, the Italian stepped up and wrapped her skinny arms around his shoulders. He grabbed a hold of her legs and heaved her up, walking out of the alleyway and heading back towards home.

Nightfall had just started, the sky slowly darkening. There weren't many lampposts on the path back home, so the stars could be clearly seen above them. The walk was a quiet one, but it was a comfortable silence. About halfway there, Lovina started to fall asleep as she leaned more on Antonio. The man turned his head slightly and chuckled, continuing on.

"Hey… 'Tonio?" Lovina lightly said into his ear as her eyelids began to shut. The Spaniard perked up, never being called by his nickname by her before.

_"¿Sí?"_

"… 'ove you." she whispered, her consciousness slipping. Antonio smiled and placed a kiss on her cheek.

_"Yo también te quiero, Lovina."_

* * *

***A/N:** Hey! I'm so sorry for not updating in forever! About a day or two after I posted the last chapter, my computer broke. I've been without a computer for about 3 or 4 weeks and I just received my Dad's old one, so updates weekly should come back. I apologize, I explained this on my page, but I don't know if everyone saw it. So! Had more fluffy moments this chapter. Unfortuately, next chapter is going to be opposite... and just in case you read this, next chapter contains major violence and character death! I'll also post it up.

Thank you for being patient with me! And thank you for the wonderful reviews! If you have time, please write a review on what I can improve or your opinions on the story please! Thank you!

(And over 2000 hits? T^T I love you guys!)

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. Not anything.**_

**Translations: please correct me if I'm wrong!**

**Italian:**

_"…Cosa?" - "...What?"_

_("Non mi toccare, bastardo! __") - Don't touch me, bastard!_

_Stai zitto! - Shut up!_

**Spanish:**

_lindo - cute_

_Oh, Dios mío! - Oh, my God!_

_"¿Sí?" - "Yes?"_

_"Yo también te quiero, Lovina." - "I love you too, Lovina."_


	9. Iron Clad Pipe

**Part 1 ~*~ Chapter 8 ~*~ Iron-Clad Pipe**

* * *

"_I will not tell you anything_!" Aldrich spat towards Ivan.

The Russian only gave a smile in response. "I don't think you have much choice, Mr. Beilschmidt. You are out of options, _da_?"

Ivan grasped his whip harder, his knuckles turning white. Aldrich flinched in the darkness from the noise, unable to move much do to being chained to the wall by his wrists. His clothes had become scraps compared to how they were a few hours ago. His long blonde hair was in disarray, tangled with knots and splotches of fresh blood coming from his head.

Aldrich glared with all his might towards the Russian with his green eyes, though glaring was very hard for him when his own blood was slipping down his forehead over his eye, along with the fact that he couldn't see the man in this kind of lighting. He had several cuts and a few nasty gashes on his body, mainly his back, and a black eye.

Ivan felt amused with this prisoner. He gave quite the show when you messed around a bit. Raising his arm, he cracked the whip against Aldrich's bare back, forcing the older man to arch back in pain and yell out once again. Beads of sweat fell from the German's face and body; his head hanging low as he tried to catch a breath of air. With another crack of the whip, the man was rammed into the wall. The red liquid spilled from the cut, the pale skin soon becoming covered in the dark crimson blood.

Tall and terrifyingly Ivan stood, with a look that could freeze Hell in just mere seconds.

"Is my whip not good enough?" Ivan stated, more to himself than towards his prisoner. The German bit his lip and kept his gaze up on the Russian. _"Stubborn, this one is." _Ivan thought.

He turned his back to Aldrich, leaving the room for only a minute to return back with something sleek and shiny behind his back. Ivan gave one of his "memorable" smiles as the German paled.

Ivan brought the thin, steel pipe with the water spigot up, his figure engrossed with darkness. He swung down and striked Aldrich again and again, taking careful aim towards the head with each hit. The clanking of the pipe against Aldrich's skull was only what Ivan heard, not even hearing Aldrich's screams, could only feel the warm, fresh blood spraying on his face and hands. Only red… only red… The feeling of beating this man up was... invigorating. It wasn't until the man turned limp that Ivan stopped.

He stared at his hands and pipe, practically soaked in the body fluid. Spots of the substance were spread across the small room. Blood was pouring out quickly from Aldrich's head, whose body was now lying on the floor, still. Giving one last look to the beaten pulp of a man on the cold stone floor, Ivan turned.

"Nighty night, _Sputnik_."

He turned off the light and left, slamming the iron-clad door behind him.

* * *

Yao ran a hand through his dark hair, angrily sighing. He was sitting with Ivan in that same office once before in the ice cream factory with the shades closed. The Chinese man was _not_ pleased with how Ivan handled the prisoner.

"_Seriously, beating him into death? What is wrong with this man? He never did something like this before! And why would he call me here just to let me know something like that! Killing was not a part of the plan!"_

"Aiya… Ivan, you can't beat prisoners like that! For one, it is inhumane! It is hard to get rid of evidence like that! And two, how can we get information from them _if they're dead_?! Do you understand how heavy this situation is?"

Ivan only smirked, ignoring his question as he polished the steel pipe in his hand. His legs were crossed and his arms slowly moving up and down, not a care in the world of his actions.

"Ivan Braginski, I know you. You wouldn't beat someone up like this unless they were involved with you personally. What made you think it was right to kill him?" Yao yelled, banging his fist against the ivory desk Ivan sat across. Steadily, Ivan placed his pipe down on the desk and neatly folded his hands with his elbows on the desk. He leaned his head on his hands, looking down for a brief second before looking at Yao.

"You always notice things such as that. I think you noticed many things while we had dated." His creepy smile came back with a hint of mischievousness. Yao's cheeks turned pink at the comment, but crossly grunted back at him. "J-Just go on, please!"

"Hmm… Mr. Beilschmidt had nothing to do directly with anything. It's his children and his little friend. His son and daughter-in-law were the ones responsible for the downfall of the mafias that were set up in Germany."

Yao's eyes widened. "Wait, they were the _Iron_ _Fists_ that destroyed everything over there?"

"_Da. _Mr. Aldrich Beilschmidt helped, using his previous knowledge of his own experience in the Italian mafia. Beilschmidt used to work under Mr. Romulus Vargas while he lived in Italy before going back to Germany. Vargas, on the other hand, is very much famous throughout all of Europe and Asia in the mafia world as you know. Kill, drink, and sex was all he ever cared about for a long time. It was his life. Though there was a point where he turned, where sometime before his "official" removal of the mafia, he took something with him. Something of high value."

Yao eyed him, encouraging Ivan to continue. The Russian gave a hard glare to him, showing Yao a side of darkness that could rival the devil. Whatever this was, it had to have been bad or emotionally straining to the man.

"He stole records. Records of every single mafia member he could get his hands on. Replaced them so that we couldn't catch it that easily or clearly tell the records were stolen. And he's taking us down from the inside out, killing the mafia off one by one until there is none left."

Whatever Yao was prepared to hear was defenestrated. A great mafia head… stole information about his own members from his own mafia… to kill them?

Ivan interrupted his thoughts and said, "You remember Natalya?"

Yao shuttered involuntarily. "Your sister with all those knives hidden under her skirt and her obsession with trying to get you to marry her? The one who broke another man's fingers when she went on a date with him? That Natalya?"

The mafia head nodded, tilting his head down lower and spoke in a deep, low voice. "Romulus did his job well. Took her out over a year ago after she left to go get information on another Italian mafia member. Figured he'd also kill other mafia gang members along with his own so that there won't be any more mafias around; at least the powerful ones. She was found dead in the street, her throat slit."

Yao thought, _"This must be what really distresses Ivan… it explains things a bit."_

"I'm sorry for your lost, Ivan. Under it all, she was a... special woman." Yao said carefully. "...Should we be worried?"

"_No._ That's why Beilschmidt is- excuse me, was very helpful to us, especially since my agents have collected some data from his house. Though I must worry about his grandson."

"Why?" Yao asked.

Ivan placed his hands in his lap, sitting upright. "He's obviously trying to figure out what happened with his parents and I soon suspect he'll learn of his grandfather sometime soon. He is just… getting rather close, I should say."

"Has he-"

"He has not done anything highly damaging yet. We are keeping a tab on him."

Yao leaned back in his chair. _"This is just so messed up! It's just betrayal after betrayal_…" He narrowed his eyes. "_Would Ivan betray him?"_ No, he shouldn't think of that.

"And…" Yao said. "About the Vargas grandchildren?"

"They'll be the perfect bait to lure Romulus out, _da? _Though he hid them quite well. I believe them to be out of the country at the very least. But no worries, everything will turn out for us."

Though Ivan believed it to be good, Yao couldn't help the dreadful feeling coming up in the pit of his stomach. As much as he was a mafia man, those children have no relations with the current problem between Ivan and Romulus, and getting them involved is technically… breaking the codes. He could only hope the grandchildren will stay away from this mess until Ivan was done with this fit of rage within him. And with what Ivan had done with the Beilschmidt man, he was worried for what he'd do to those children. His guess was that Ivan would beat them to a pulp; to near death...

Even though he himself was a mafia head, and he had his fair share of kills as well, Yao didn't like to see innocent blood spilt.

* * *

***A/N: **Done! Phew! And I don't know when the next update is. Probably soon since my exams are done and over with! But thank you guys so much! So many favorites and alerts! And almost 3,000 hits? Wootness~ And I apologize. Yes, I killed Germania. And Belarus.

I'm such a terrible person.

And there were many hints in this chapter that foreshadows future events. See if you can spot them!

And also, I don't own Hetalia :P

**Translations: (please correct me if I'm wrong!)**

**Russian:**

_da - right/yes_

_Sputnik - "traveling companion", etc._


	10. Preparations

**Part 1 ~*~ Chapter 9 ~*~ Preparations**

* * *

It was late spring now with May flowers blooming about the area of Vienna, including the Edelstein mansion. More birds were flying in the air on this particular day, making the place seem more cheerful that ever before, and with the skies a light blue and clear of clouds, it seemed almost perfect.

Out in the gardens looking up at this breathless view was Feliciana, absentmindedly crafting a flower crown. Feliciana couldn't believe that she's been living in Austria for over two years; the longest she's ever been outside of her home in Italy. Now eleven years old, she was granted more freedom and finally had full access to the kitchen (to make pasta when needed of course), as well as full access to the library (which was blocked to her before because the head of the house was scared of her spilling her _beloved _pasta onto the well-organized prized books).

In her mind Roderich and Elizabeta (she finally lost the habit of calling them formally) had not aged at all, but she _did_ notice Ludwig's changes. Just like her, he also got taller and bigger, becoming more built. He was a full 4 inches taller than her! She hoped that he wouldn't become too tall… she hated being smaller than everyone else.

While he was growing and becoming more mature, he was also starting to become… well... it was hard for her to put it into words. Feliciana didn't know what to even think of it! He would abruptly turn red a lot more often and his face would become as red as a lobster in just a few seconds practically every time they saw each other. Sometimes he even ran away when he saw her! And Feliciana was starting to get nervous, mainly fearing that he was getting sick.

A few days after realizing this was happening to him, Feliciana laid down on her bed, thinking hard about it one night. Curled up with her pillow while only wearing a white shirt and panties, she thought, "_I hope he's not getting sick. When I asked Elizabeta, she just told me that he was bitten by a love bug. What if this bug is poisonous? He might not be able to enjoy pasta anymore! Or those yucky wursts! Or reading or painting…! That would be horrible!" _Feliciana began to panic as she fidgeted in her bed, rolling around. She didn't want Ludwig to die!

The Italian rushed out of the room, tears falling freely from her face. Luckily for her, Ludwig's room was only a few hallways away. Feliciana sprinted down the hallway, arriving at his door at full speed and opening it with a loud _BAM! _And ran on top of the poor, unsuspecting boy, repeatedly calling out his name over and over while wailing.

Ludwig on the other hand, who _had_ been asleep, awoke with a start and proceeded to try and analyze the situation, but with a hysterical Italian on top of him only made things difficult. Yet Feli did not see this, yelling for him to live and to not get killed by the love bug. It wasn't until he had gathered her into his arms in an attempt to calm her down did she stop talking and moving

"Feli… it's one o'clock in the morning. I'm not-" he gave a yawn before continuing. "going anywhere. I'm not dying from anything and… _w-w-w-what are you w-wearing_?"

"Ve~, that's good to know. I started thinking for a moment that you were going to die!" Ludwig promptly face palmed. Feliciana wiped her face, quickly getting rid of the tears that once flowed down her cheeks. "And it was very hot in my room~ I didn't want to wear anything uncomfortable!"

And there it was. That red tint on his face. She didn't put it together that the way she looked along with her on his lap made Ludwig _very_ uncomfortable. Regardless of that she leaned forward to press her forehead against his, checking for a fever.

"Hmm~ you don't have a fever…"

Ludwig squirmed underneath her, trying to shove her away. Feli only cocked her head to the side in confusion. He sighed and looked away, telling her "Feli, go back to bed. I'm fine. Really."

She nodded, smiling. He was fine and okay! Everything was okay! Feli proceeded to get off of him when a clap of lightning and a roar of thunder struck outside. Feliciana grabbed ahold of Ludwig, shaking.

"T-T-Thunderstorm…!"

She was never able to handle them well, even as a young child. Lovina would usually sleep with her (claiming that she wasn't scared of it and just didn't want her sister to be afraid). The storms made her feel like she did something wrong and she's never been okay sleeping with them alone. Feliciana began to cry again. When a pair of decisive hands wrapped around her, she looked up, shocked. Ludwig placed her with him under his bed sheets, putting her head into his shoulder while he placed his hands on her back and the back of her head.

"_Huh?"_

"Y-You can stay h-here for a while i-if the storm is scaring you."

Feliciana smiled, wrapping her arms around him, trying to block out the thunderstorm outside. Ludwig rubbed his hand in small circles on her back, lightly whispering in her ear in German, making her very sleepy. Before she knew it, she couldn't hear the storm anymore and could only hear Ludwig's voice.

"Thank you… Ludwig…"

She blacked out, quickly falling into the hold of dreamland in Ludwig's arms.

* * *

When Ludwig woke up the next morning, he found Feliciana curled up to his side sleeping peacefully. It was 5:30 A.M. Ludwig always woke up at this precise time due to being an 'early to bed early to rise' type of person. He usually would get up and start to prepare for his schooling lessons and breakfast… but Ludwig decided just this once to stay in bed with the Italian for another 30 minutes. He smiled as he brought the young girl a bit closer to him.

Later in the afternoon, while Feliciana was doing her schooling with Elizabeta, Ludwig had gotten the mail and found a letter addressed to him from his brother, Gilbert. Gilbert would usually send one when he could, which was not very often, but it was always nice to hear from him (even if he did just rant how "awesome" he was. Did his brother not know any other word?). However, as Ludwig went back to his room and opened the letter, this was _not_ the case as Ludwig began to read, sitting on his bed.

"_Vash,"_

Ludwig quickly looked up from the letter. He shouldn't be reading this. It wasn't meant for him. Obviously his brother messed up, as always… but even if he tried to he didn't know where this "Vash" lived or even who he was. Out of pure curiosity, the boy decided to read it. It _had_ been a few months since he last heard from him and though Ludwig would normally not do this, he wanted to hear about his brother...

"_Hey man! How's your totally-not-as-awesome-as-my-life going? Lilli's gonna be a real teenager soon, ain't she? Damn, I remember when I was that age. I was so awesome!"_

Ludwig rolled his eyes, skipping over his brother's _endearing _childhood that he had decided to write.

"_Anyway, West'll be 13 this year so I know how that goes."_

His brother kept the old 'East and West' nicknames? Their parents made those nicknames because of how their personalities were; opposite of one another and yet connected. It'd been since their parents' deaths when he last called him that in person…

"_Dammit, I can't keep hiding it from him anymore, Vash. But I can't see him until I find out who the fuck murdered our parents. If Ludwig knew… well that's be pretty unawesome.  
So! Past the sob story shit, my old man's pa's still missing and I can't find him anywhere. Fuck, who am I kidding? That damn Mafia probably took him. I need to talk to you about some more equipment and I promise, I have the money this time so don't point that fuckin' gun at me when I come over! I'll meet you at your house in Swissy. We should have a party for my arrival! My ride just arrived, so I'll meet ya over there!_

_-The almighty Gilbert_

_P.S. Could you make some wurst? That'd be fuckin' awesome =D"_

Ludwig put the letter down and into a dresser next to his bed, hiding it under the organized stack of notebooks. After shutting the drawer, he gazed up at the ceiling.

Their parents… _großvater_… mafia… so Gilbert had lied to him?

_"It would appear so."_

He had to. He was only 6 when his parents died, a few weeks before his birthday. Their parents _had_ been involved with the mafia, Ludwig assumed. "_They had to have been if großvater was taken."_

Ever since about a year after their parents' deaths, he had accepted it, the fact that they were not here anymore. He had moved on from his parents' deaths... And yet on the other hand his parents were murdered. Did he want… revenge? Is that why Gilbert was out there? Revenge?

He needed to act quickly. Ludwig stood up, mind made up. He left his room, leaving behind the anger and sadness, only bringing with him a lump in his throat as he walked out.

* * *

After eating supper as usual, Ludwig made sure to act like everything was alright. Everything had been perfect. He acted just as he normally had, engaging in conversation and complementing Elizabeta on a fantastic dinner.

Later on in the night, he planned to leave the estate. Though he had already made his decision to do this, deep down inside he was a nervous wreck. But he quickly shook those thoughts aside. He _needed _to do this. Gathering his backpack and other items, he put on a dark outfit with his old black, long cape and hat to help blend into the night. He didn't know how long he'd be gone and wanted to take the necessary precautions by bringing the hat and cape in case of cold weather.

With the bag over his shoulder, he snuck out of the house through the porch and left from the backyard. The stars seemed to be guiding him this quiet night as the warm breeze engulfed him. He looked straight on ahead towards the dirt-path road that would lead him to the village and out of Austria. There was no turning back. He was going to go and-

"Ludwig?"

Fear entered his heart, freezing him on that very spot. _No. There was no way she could be out here right now. There is no way she is out here with me, she can't be here!_

Ludwig turned slowly, his eyes becoming wider as he saw what was behind him. Feliciana stood there, still in her green dress from earlier, with a look of surprise and sadness shown on her face. She was clutching her necklace close to her heart, the cross necklace he had given her. Ludwig feared for the worst. Seeing her face... but... he can't change his decision…

"What… what are you doing here?" His voice came out as a quiet, but harsh tone. He'd been discovered when he was so sure he had come out of here unsuspected.

The wind whipped up a little bit, rustling the trees surrounding the area. "I was still stargazing… I do it when I feel alone sometimes. Sometimes I have to sneak out because Roderich would scold me for doing such a thing and so late at night. But I saw a shadow, and I saw a familiar figure walking. At first I was scared, but I saw your hair from underneath your hat and I recognized the clothing. Ludwig, where are you going? Do you have to leave? Why?" Feli's voice started to become more frantic when he did not respond back, her eyes wide open. "Why?"

"Feli…" he could see her worried eyes shining from the soft glow of the full moon overhead. "I…" he made a fist with one hand, lightly shaking. "I need to go."

"Why? What's wrong with here?"

"Nothing's wrong with here, Feli. You, Roderich, and Elizabeta are all very kind-"

"Then why?"

"My brother." Ludwig said. "He needs me, Feli. More than he knows. I have an idea of where to go and that's why. I _need_ to go, Feliciana." The Italian brought her head down. For a moment the last sentence he spoke hung heavily in the air. And for a moment, Ludwig thought, _"I don't want to leave you like this…"_

After a few short minutes, Ludwig began to talk again. "Hey, Feliciana?" She looked up, trying to hide her tears. With a shaky voice, she responded with a quiet "Yes?"

"I-In your culture, w-what do your people give… a-as a thank you? I-I want to thank you properly for the time we spent together." Damn the accursed blush and butterfly feeling!

"You… you kiss them, I think."

_Bump-Bump_

"A kiss… huh…"

_Bump-Bump_

Ludwig took a few strides and walked up to her, his hands grasping her shoulders lightly.

_Bump-Bump_

He brought his head closer; their lips only a few centimeters away. He could feel each breathe she gave. Tenderly, he whispered to her. "I've always loved you…" And before she could say anything in response, he closed the space between them, gently pressing his lips to hers. The fear of rejection flew quickly out of his mind. This…_this_ was the moment he was waiting for. His heart beat sped up when she started to kiss back.

He brought her closer, just enjoying the feel of her soft lips against his and due to how close they were, he could feel her heart beat going just as fast as his…

It was only a simple kiss, but it was so much more than that as well. It was a warm hello and a cold goodbye. Slowly they pulled apart. Feliciana looked up to him, her eyes clearly telling her message.

_Don't leave me._

"…Do you really mean that?" She asked.

"I'm not lying." Ludwig replied quickly and seriously.

Her face turned into a smile, her cheeks tinted pink. "I'm glad! Ve!" Ludwig smiled too.

"I'll… I'll be back. I don't know when, but I will. Gilbert needs me right now."

"Okay, I understand. Please stay safe!" He gave her a kiss on the forehead and turned, starting to walk out of the yard. "Don't get sick! Have a safe journey! Oh, I'll make lots of sweets when you come back!" She yelled. Ludwig paused for a moment and looked at her, getting one last glance.

"And…" Feli stopped waving frantically and brought her hand to her mouth, making an 'o' shape with her hands. "I love you too!"

Ludwig lightly blushed. He turned fully towards her and did the same, bringing his hands to his face.

"No matter how many years will pass, I'll love you the most!"

And before he could change his mind to stay with the girl of his dreams, he turned around and walked forward with a smile on his face. The journey ahead of him was going to be tough for someone young like him (and he knew it), but just the thought of returning to a loved one made it worth it.

* * *

***A/N**: Hey~! It's been about a week! Things have been busy around here (family comes down tomorrow! :D). So you might have found this chapter kinda fluffy (yea it was -snicker snicker-) but think about this carefully. Does Ludwig want revenge? And he _left_ Feli. Meaning that we shall begin the torture of Feli's sadness from him leaving, MUAHAHAHAHA.

Next chapter -spoil spoil- isn't going to be much different, but maybe a bit more... _painful_. Oh, and we get to introduce a new character! Yay! Need someone added into the mix to make this more fun. And after the next chapter, it won't be so fluffy anymore. Just warning you ahead of time.

**Blah blah I don't own Hetalia, disclaimer and whatnot. You should know I don't own this! :P**

**Translations:**

German: _großvater - grandfather_


	11. Mind of Matter

**Part 1 ~*~ Chapter 10 ~*~ Mind of Matter**

* * *

It had been a few weeks since Roderich had called about Ludwig's disappearance. Ludwig had apparently received a letter from Gil, accidentally meant to be sent to Vash, a friend Antonio knew from Switzerland. After the Edelsteins noticed the boy's disappearance, they found the letter in his room on the bed.

So... Ludwig finally knew after six years.

Antonio laid down on his bed, with his hands covering his eyes. When Roderich had told him that Gil was off to war, Antonio understood perfectly. Gil never liked the army. He was set on revenging his parents from their murderers. But before he could do anything, Gil just packed up and left, leaving Ludwig with people that Gilbert thought would help him grow into a great man.

"_But why had Ludwig gone? To join him? Or maybe possibly to stop him?"_

All Antonio knew was that more than likely Ludwig was heading into Swiss territory, and Antonio's finally decided what needed to be done.

He gave a sigh as sleep started to envelope him. Sleep; it had been such a long time since he had a good night sleep. With all the drama that has been going on around his friends, along with the harvest which was now being threatened by a few simple bugsthat were eating his beloved tomato plants. Maybe he'll give a call to Francis later and try to talk to him about a few things. Maybe if he reminded Francis that he _did_ owe him for fixing his car when it broke back in-

"B-Bastard!"

And before he knew it, a 13 year old girl slammed down on his stomach. Antonio's head flew back and hit the headboard. Lovina continued to yell profanity words, poorly trying to shake him back into the real world. Still dizzy and in pain, Antonio rubbed the back of his head. "Ow! That's… that's a wakeup call, alright. "

Squinting an eye open he looked at the girl. She was wearing a bandana in her hair (it was now at her shoulders and it looked really cute for her) and had on a short tan shirt and dark brown pants. Her face was of horror, her eyes teary and puffy.

"Oh _Dios mío, _Lovi! what's wrong?" He grabbed her shoulders and leaned closer.

Lovina stuttered. _"_I-I... t-there was- _hic_! There w-w-was b-blood... and I_- hic!_ I d-don't know what-_hic!_ What to do!"

"B-Blood?! Where? Are you okay? Is it one of the animals?" Antonio asked frantically.

Lovina adverted her eyes. "C-chigi...!"

"Lovi, please tell me what's wrong." He would never want any harm to come to his Lovi! Blood was never a good thing, but why wasn't Lovina telling him where it was? Why was she trying to hide something important like this from him when she clearly needed help?

"I-It's… it's down _there_, damn it!"

Antonio didn't understand. "Eh? Down there? What do you mean down there? Down the hill out back?"

"No, _idiota!_ Down _there!"_ She nodded her head down. Why was she looking at...

Oh. Her pants were stained red.

Antonio looked back at Lovina and stared at her for a brief moment. She was adverting her eyes, trying not to look at him as she blushed a bright red.

"Lovina... did you sit on a tomato?"

She facepalmed.

_"Idiota!_ Fine!" Lovi proceeded to leave the bed.

"No, Lovina!" Antonio grabbed her hand, pulling her towards him strongly. He placed her in his lap, and said, "I'm sorry! I just don't understand what exactly you are trying to tell me. Did you sit on a tomato?"

"No! It's blood! Not a tomato, bastard!"

_So it really was blood?_

…

_...How old is Lovi? Could… could it be…?_

Oh.

_OH!_

And it finally clicked.

Antonio frantically waved his arms and stood up quickly, knocking Lovina out of his lap, and started running around the room. "Oh Lovi we've got to get something! Something, something…! There has to be- ah! I think Bella left something here, just in case!"

And with that Antonio ran out to Lovina's bathroom. He swiftly opened the medicine cabinet and pushed aside the extra bath soap, finding what he was searching for. Thank God Bella left some here just in case!

Grabbing the feminine hygiene product, he ran back to his bedroom, Lovina still on the bed with a scowl upon her bright red face. Antonio, blushing as much as Lovi was, leaned against the door with the product outstretched in his hand.

"This! This… right?" he huffed out.

The girl nodded, jumping off the bed and walking over to Antonio with her head down. She took the package as Antonio rushed her to his bathroom.

"Okay, there you go!" he said as he shut the door. A long sigh escaped his lips. He's never had to deal with something like this before and frankly, didn't want to. He knew though that at some point and time he'd have to go through this with Lovina, but he didn't have a real need to think about it before now.

Antonio had slid down the door, rubbing his head. Well, it should be all okay for now. Lovina has what she needs and he didn't need to do anything else at the moment-

"Tomato bastard," Lovina called out to him through the bathroom door. "I don't know… exactly how this thing works."

Antonio heaved a weary sigh.

* * *

After the fiasco that morning, Lovina completely avoided Antonio. She knew what to do! She just needed some guidance is all! And the tomato bastard was her only choice since Bella wasn't there. So Lovina had retreated to an oak tree in the back. Out of sight and hidden well, she sat there eating a few home-grown tomatoes. Sunlight lightly covered her figure through the many leaves of the tree; tiny spots of light shining down on her. A light breeze graced her, the feeling of light-headedness compelling her into sleep.

"_Antonio…"_

That was something that had been bothering her; plaguing her mind. It wasn't completely about him! It was just… there was this _aura_ or something that just made her want to drink in his essence. But this feeling… even she couldn't deny it to herself at the very least. Antonio was a bastard, and an idiot, and a complete air-head most of the time… the way he would go to her whenever she needed him… when he would genuinely smiled at her...

D-Damn it! Just what was _wrong_ with her? She leaned back against the trunk of the tree. "_This has to be his fault! He just cursed me or something! There's nothing wrong with me."_

After a few minutes, Lovina sat up and walked over towards the barn. She wasn't going to check on Antonio at all! She just wanted to go to a cooler place and he just happened to be there, dammit.

Crouching low to the ground, the teen peered into the barn, both hands on the door. Inside never held many animals (Antonio always claimed Lovina made up for it). A horse, a few cows, and his prized bull, _Tesoro_. Oh yes, Antonio fuckin' _loved_ that bull. Lovina didn't mind the creature... actually, it was quite nice to her and like to be around her... not that she was very fond of bulls or anything, only this one.

In fact, Antonio was inside standing next to said bull. But there was also a cow out of its pen and another man… one she didn't recognized. His back was turned to her, thus all her eyes could behold were his super flashy clothes and long, wavy blonde hair. Yet from her point of view she could also see Antonio perfectly. He was wearing his normal sandals and blue capris… but he had taken off his shirt due to the heat wave outside.

S-She was _not_ staring! There's nothing else to look at!

Sweat gleamed down his sun-kissed skin and his hair was wet, giving it a darker-colored look. From his muscles in his arms down to his toned abs-

Lovina smacked herself. "_Stop it! You are not being attracted to that idiot!"_

"Lovi?"

And in a blink of an eye, when Lovina looked up there he was, looking at her with a surprised expression. Lovina stood up, brushing off her shirt and crossing her arms.

"B-Bastard. I thought you said you were milking?"

"Oh, I was _mi tomate_." ("Not a tomato!" Lovina yelled back) Antonio pushed her over to the strange man. And upon closer inspection when he turned, he had dark blue eyes and stubble on his chin, the smell of roses practically screaming from him.

"_He's fuckin' French!"_

"This is Francis Bonnefey, a good friend of mine since we were young. He lives in France now as a fashion designer. I called him earlier today to find out he was just on his way to see us!"

The man gave what looked like an award winning smile, but Lovina could see past those shiny white teeth. A grin, eager to get closer to her in Lovina's eyes.

"_Foolish fool! It's like he's not even trying to hide it!"_

Francis kneeled to the ground, taking her hand and kissing it (oh how Lovina wanted to punch him!) while pulling a rose seemingly from nowhere. Shocked, she took the flower and examined it. _"Where the hell did he get this from?"_

"_Bonjour, jolie demoiselle_," he said, giving a wink. "I am Francis. And you must be _peu_ Lovina Romana Vargas, currently living with Antonio. You are very cute! I have heard much about you."

"And you must be the pervert that was trying to touch Antonio moments before, jackass."

Francis stood back up, bringing his hands together. He gave a hearty laugh. "Yes, yes! You are definitely a Vargas! And such sharp eyes for someone so young! But I fear you are mistaken."

He flipped his hair back over his shoulder and made a pose.

"_What the fucking hell?!"_

"It is _l'amour_! I come from a place where we must _embrace_ love in all forms! Shapes, sizes, it does not matter!" To further his point he hugged Antonio, who just laughed.

_Completely unaware that the Frenchman was groping his butt._

"And Antonio talks lovingly of you~!" He gave another wink as Antonio stuttered.

"N-Not like that, Francis!"

Between the stuttering tomato bastard and the French pervert laughing, Lovina didn't know what to say. _"Someone please wake me up from this nightmare!"_

Francis moved over to the side, not looking where he was going, and slipped. Falling back, he tried to grab a hold of something; anything. Unfortunately, it just happened to be Tesoro.

Now, Tesoro was usually a kind and friendly bull, but you could only push so much with him until he snapped, and one of those things was pulling on his horns roughly. Anger flashed in his beady eyes, trotted his hooves, and took several steps back, preparing to strike the Frenchman on the ground. All Lovina could do was watch as Antonio, like slow motion, run in front of the bull to protect Francis. The bull brought its front hooves up and hit Antonio squarely in the chest, knocking him into another animal stall. The stall walls came crashing down, hay flying up in the air.

Tesoro, the initial burst of anger depleted, began to calm down as Francis stood up and ran to Antonio, Lovina hurrying along.

"_I didn't mean a nightmare like this!"_

Francis quickly checked his pulse, and after making sure he was still living, took out his cell phone and began to dial the ambulance. Lovina did not make much notice of that, only the man in front of her who looked unconscious. If something happened to Antonio…! Lovina put her ear against his chest, which now had a few cuts and a bruise forming.

_Bump-Bump_

A cough escaped his lips. She gasped and looked up. He opened an eye, still not moving anything else, and gave a light-hearted laugh.

"S-Strong… he didn't mean… it… just anger… normal with… bulls…"

Tears fell down Lovina's face and she didn't wipe them or pretend something got in her eyes. She put her pride aside and placed his head on her lap. Surprised, Antonio wearily looked up.

"Idiot… if you were to die I wouldn't be able to see you anymore."

Antonio smiled and brought up his left arm to her head. "He's not… as strong as… Lovina's headbutt."

Lovina buried her head deeper into his hair, sobbing away. "Stupid…! _Il mio stupido idiota_!" She clung to Antonio, even after Francis had called a doctor and shouted for several of the farm's helpers to assist him in fixing Antonio's wounds.

Later on that night, Antonio was sitting upright in his bed being fed tomato soup by Lovina. He had several broken ribs, a giant disgusting bruise on his stomach, and he broke his right wrist. There are bandages wrapped around all those areas, including his head.

"You could have been killed." Lovina stated once more, putting the soup on the bedside table.

"But I didn't, Lovi!"

"But you could have, Antonio! What the hell would I have done if you got seriously hurt? You have no idea how much you fucking scared me!" Lovina yelled, turning around and holding herself in her arms. Why couldn't he get that fact stuck in his head, the moron?

Suddenly, she was tugged from her closed position and pulled onto Antonio's lap. He gave a light grimace from the impact on his chest. It was only momentarily and smiled right back at her.

"Lovina, I'm sorry if I scared you. Thank you for caring about me. You are really extraordinarily kind, Lovina. And it's because I don't want you to get hurt that I need to talk to you about something very important."

Antonio turned to Lovina, face to face. Lovina could tell this wasn't going to be anything good, like earlier this day.

"I'm going to be leaving… after I'm done healing of course, haha. That was kind of the reason for Francis's visit, to tell me about it. I'll be gone for a while… and I don't know when I'll be back. Bella will be here to take care of you and the farm along with her brother. I have to go help a friend of mine. He's in serious trouble and needs my help. I can't leave him alone in this. I need to find him, Lovina."

Lovina could only look at her hands, too scared to talk. Antonio was… leaving her? She felt a tug from her chest. "…No. Please don't go…"

Antonio hugged her, wrapping his arms around her back. "I'll come back. It's not just one huge trip. I will be gone from time to time, but of course I'll come see you."

"...You better, bastard."

* * *

When Francis came in later to check on the two, he sighed and leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed. Antonio and Lovina had fallen asleep in each other's arms, content looks on their faces. Francis smiled softly.

"_Amour de jeunesse_. Lovina will be a good thing for Antonio."

And with that he shut the door quietly behind him.

* * *

***A/N: **Few! Done! And that's it for the first half of this fic (halfway done! and all I've done is filled it with fluff). And again, starting next chapter things will not be fluffy. More violent. And bloody. Yes, lots of blood and pain, _muahahahahaha~!_ Just warning you guys. Also, major time skip starting next chapter. ;D

**Disclaimer: I dont' own Hetalia. I don't own the characters. You should know that :P**

**Translations: Let me know if I'm wrong!**

**Spanish:**

_Dios mío - my goodness_

_Tesoro - Treasure_

_mi tomate - my tomato_

**Italian:**

_idiota - idiot_

_Il mio stupido idiota! - My stupid idiot!_

**French:**

_Bonjour, jolie demoiselle - Hello, pretty young miss_

_peu - little_

_l'amour - love_

_Amour de jeunesse - Young love_


	12. Captive

**Part 2 *~* Chapter 11 *~* Captive**

* * *

It had been five years ago since Antonio started his mini trips around Europe. He was true to his word and always came back, even if it was only for a day at times. Sometimes he came only a few times a year, as though he was trying to protect Lovina and Bella by trying not to let someone know his true location...

But Lovina knew. She knew everything that was secret to her and her sister, along with everything else Antonio had tried to hide from her. From _nonno_ Romulus being head of the mafia to the stupid potato's reason for running off years ago. Lovina even knew some of this information since Feli was a small child. She had overheard her _genitori_ discussing the mafia and her _nonno_. She knew this would resurface once again, but had hoped that it would all be in the past.

And those stupid potato bastards! When Lovina had heard they left for revenge against their parents, Feliciana had to calm her down because of how mad she was. Plus the fact that her stupid sibling had fallen for one of them? She was _so_ going to be kicking that bastard's ass back to the fucking wurst loving country he came from with his balls detached! Just how the hell could he leave Feli like that? She was out-of-sorts for months and no matter what Lovina or the Edelsteins told her got her out of that blank state. Feli eventually came around (quite suddenly to Lovina when her sister appeared the next day all smiles instead of the sour face she had for months) and they now chat through the phone a lot, becoming much closer than before. It was one thing positive since Antonio left.

And the negative? She just fucking realized that she _might-sort-of-but-not-really-really-like-love_ the stupid bastard. Oh how Lovina tried for _ages_ to deny this; that it was just because she saw him as a parental figure. But how could he have been, the way she treated him and the way she felt? She never saw him in that way, _oh no. _As a child she saw him more like a grown-up friend that knew all the ropes, but no, she just had to go and see him like one would with a lover and it took her so long to realize that her feelings were.

Not that it really mattered. How could she tell Antonio something like this? He'd be repulsed! He practically helped raised her!

There had been one time though she tried to express this, last Christmas. It ended with her blushing a dark red and head-butting him in the stomach when he complimented her. She knew that she needed to get over her pride, but… it was just so hard, damn it!

Right now, Lovina was putting Tesoro and all the other animals away by herself. Bella had left the other day with her brother to an important meeting in France and wouldn't be back until next week. It was fine; Lovina could handle herself. She was 18, dammit. She wasn't a child anymore. And Antonio had said he would be back sometime around these next few days anyway.

"_N-Not that I'm looking forward to seeing the idiot!" _Lovina thought as she closed the barn doors. _"Not since he went to go help those damn heartbreaker, stupid potatoes. I mean, really. Trying to change his mind about taking over the mafia or whatever? Ha! They don't know much about the mafia then."_

She went back to the house just as the sun set over the horizon. The night was warm, insects starting to play their tune as Lovina walked over to the back porch, looking over the rail with her hands firmly grasped to them.

"Stupid Antonio... come back faster."

"_Come back for good you idiot."_

After a few minutes of just resting there, Lovina turned and headed indoors. Shutting the door and locking it, she went upstairs to her room and decided to get rid of the stench of sweat off her. She pulled her hair out of its messy bun, showing that it had grown longer since she was a kid, down to her chest in brown curls. Grabbing some clothes and a red towel, Lovina walked on over to the bathroom, turning on the water for a nice, long bath.

* * *

"_Ve, sorella, it was nice of you to call me! I'm glad we get to talk before Big Brother Antonio comes back."_

"Yeah yeah, whatever. A-And I wasn't calling for you, dammit! I just wanted to make sure you're still in one piece!"

"_That's so sweet, Lovi!"_

Lovina smacked her head. She was spread out across the couch in the living room, wearing pajama shorts and a tank top. Even though it was night, it was just as hot. She rested her hand against her cheek and pulled the cord phone closer to her ear with the other.

"So… how are things over there?"

"_It's good~! Roderick has orchestra practice almost every day now. He's very proud of his band and he seems to be having lots of fun! Though when something goes wrong at practice, it's not much fun around here, ve! Elizabeta taught me how to sew and how to properly waltz lately. I'm not so good with the sewing, but I'm getting better at dancing! Maybe one day I'll be able to dance like you do, sorella! Oh! I met two nice people the other day while shopping in the market!"_

"Feli, what have I told you about strangers?"

"_V-Ve? But I know their names!"_

"Damn it, just be careful idiot. Don't get captured or something stupid like that."

"_Of course! And I always have a white flag on me, silly! One of them is very nice~ his name's Toris! But… I'm still unsure if Feliks, the other person I met, is a girl or not…"_

"What, you can't even tell that?"

"_I can, Lovi! It's just… he or she acts like a bit of both! Short blonde hair and a good frame! I know the name is for a boy, but I just don't know, ve!"_

"So… besides a gender-confused she-man and his or her "seemingly normal" buddy, how are you coping? Any word on that potato bastard?"

There was silence between the two for a few minutes. _"My feelings for him won't change…"_

Lovina blinked and gave a huge sigh. She _was_ going to kill him for hurting Feli. "Feli, I don't understand why you can't just let him go! He's gone and left you!"

"_But he'll be back! Eventually! Aren't you the same way with Antonio?"_

"W-We're not… I don't… chigi! Feli!

"_It's true though! You're in the same situation as me, sorella!"_

Another loud sigh escaped Lovina's lips. "_Credo che_… b-but I can handle myself while he's away!"

Suddenly, a voice different from her sister's answered. And it sounded _too __real_ for it to be someone from the other end.

"Is that so, Miss?"

Lovina swiftly rolled off the couch landing on her feet; the phone was dropped to the floor. She came face to face with a man no taller than herself, wearing a dark blue outfit and a fedora covering his dark brown hair. "No need to be afraid… much." He smirked, snapping on black gloves. Lovina recognized his thick accent as Italian and instantly got into a fighting stance, even if her entire body was shivering and was telling her to just run the hell out of there. But her options were limited as a few men came into view, now visible in the hallway and in the kitchen.

"_The servants are at least safe. They aren't supposed to come back for a couple more hours though, which sucks for me..." _Lovina thought.

She looked to her right from the corner of her eye.

_The window._

"I'm sorry to disrupt your call," the same man said. "But I kinda need you." The man walked forward, taking out a gun and shooting the phone that lied not too far from her. Lovina flinched.

"So… the easy way?"

He pointed the gun at her. "Or the hard way?"

After a few seconds of quickly looking around her surroundings, Lovina put down her stance and left her arms limp against her hips. They began to come towards her, seeing this as an act of surrender. The moment they brought their guns lower and their guard down, Lovina made a mad dash to the window. Gunshots filled her ears as she barreled through the glass window, smashing the glass into tiny fragments that glimmered in the sunset.

Landing on her feet, she got up and ran towards the barn, ignoring the fresh cuts on her arms and legs. Lovina needed to stay focused. Antonio usually left his battle axe there just in case…!

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Lovina cried out as a bullet seared into her left arm. Blood tinkled down from her shoulder and she fell to her knees. Grinding her teeth and pushing past the _unbearable_ pain, she got up and limped into the barn. Once the doors were open, Tesoro ran to her, trying to aid her into the barn. Using the bull as a support, she hid herself against one of the stalls on the inside and clutched her arm; her mind was spinning and things began to look blurry.

The barn doors creaked as five men walked in, guns in their hands. Tesoro's nostrils flared as he snorted, catching their attention. Trotting his hooves, he charged, ramming one man down who slid over to the other side of the barn. The man with the fedora brought up his gun.

Lovina squinted her eyes shut, cringing when the click of the gun was heard several times. The shot of the last bullet rang loud through the barn as a thunderous _thud_ was heard. The horses all whinnied and the cows mooed, sensing what was going on. Daring to take a peak, the Italian girl looked out of her hiding spot slightly and her good hand covered her mouth, eyes wide open.

Lying in the middle of the barn was Tesoro, in a pool of dark, red blood flowing from his chest. She knew he was dead… but no matter how much she wanted to go to the beast and cry and hold him in her arms, Lovina couldn't focus on that right now. It pained her that she had to make this decision. _She_ has to get out alive!

Lovina turned around and ran out the stall for the back door. Her footsteps alerted the other men as they chased after her once again. If Lovina could just reach someone or something…!

Another gunshot filled the air and once again, Lovina felt incredible pain as she fell. Her eyes widened as more blood spilled out of her body, now from her leg. Unable to stand, she started to prepare herself for the worst.

"_I'm sorry Tesoro, for making you protect me when I couldn't protect myself…"_

A man ran up to her and pushed a cloth to her mouth and nostrils.

"Sorry _piccola signora_." A voice said somewhere above her. "Gotta keep ya alive for the boss man. Nighty night, _principessa_."

The world spun; pain fading and her head was moving so fast that she couldn't get a hold on what was what anymore. The green eyed Spaniard enveloped her mind as she gave into the darkness...

"_I'm sorry… Antonio…"_

* * *

***A/N: **Aaaannndddd cliffhanger! So first, when I had written the scene for Feli and Lovi, I realized I had too much junk in it, but as I was rereading it, I realized I added so many "Ve!"s that it made me sick to my stomach.  
And yeah, I killed a character? When I had only introduced him a chapter ago. Sorry, it needed to be done. And I apologize for hurting Lovi like that. Again, it needed to be done. Antonio's not going be happy with me... Next chapter warning, the first half I _loved_ writing! But it's going to make very little sense and I bet you'll all get confused. I'll make sure that it's checked thoroughly so that you'll be able to understand a bit.

I've been reading what makes readers upset (in general for any fanfic) and one thing was the whole, bits and pieces of languages. Well, the reason why I have that in here is because I do that irl. In some moments, I'll start to talk in either Chinese or Japanese instead of saying it in English. So I'm saying that people _do_ normally do that. All my friends that speak Spanish do that as well. Just letting you know~

So! Let me know what you think, and I'll have to update about a week after the 4th of July. I'm gonna visit some family members :3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia at all!**

**Translations: Please let me know if I'm wrong!**

**Italian:**

_Nonno - Grandpa_

_genitori - parents_

_sorella - sister_

_Credo che - I guess_

_piccola signora - little lady_

_principessa - princess_


	13. Falling and Understanding

**Part 2 *~* Chapter 12 *~* Falling and Understanding**

* * *

"_My feelings for him won't change…" Feli's voice rang out like an echo through an endless dark tavern. She was standing in the center of the dark, damp cave wearing only a spaghetti-strapped white dress. Lightly, the waves lapped at her feet, threatening to come even closer._

_Echoing from the opposite direction was the response. Angrily, Lovina's voice echoed back, "Feli, I don't understand… understand… can't just … just let him go… let him go! He's gone…! Gone! Left you!"_

_Feliciana shook her head, shivering from the cold wind blowing through, knocking her hair out of its place._

"_He'll be back! He will… he will…! You! You… same with Antonio…"_

_She took a step forward and a dim green light appeared, showing half of Lovina's face. Her mouth twisted upside down, her expression soulless. "Chigi… chigi…chigi…chigi…chigi…" rang out like a chant throughout the entire dark circle of Feliciana's world._

"_It's true! It's true, true, true!" Feli screamed, running towards Lovina with her hand stretched out. Though no matter how hard she ran, she couldn't touch her sorella._

"_You're in the same situation as me!"_

_Lovina quietly replied. "B-But…" Feli stopped running. The face of Lovina turned back to normal, though now she had tiled her head to the side slightly, her hair covering parts of her face. The eerie light turned yellow. "… I can handle my-myself… I can handle myself!"_

_A pair of red, bloody arms wrapped around Lovina's waist. Another arm from nowhere went behind her head, covering Lovina's eyes with its bloody fingers, the dark liquid substance dripping down from them and onto her face._

"_That so?" said an ominous voice, the sound rebounding around the cavern._

_Not a millisecond after the voice had spoken, they were suddenly underwater and Feliciana couldn't breathe. While trying to gasp for air, she saw the arms, now shaped like swords, striking Lovina in different angles. She was twisting in the murky water, slowly turning the bright blue color into crimson, covering her entire being. Lovina became pale; her eyes rolled into the back of her head._

_Feliciana was falling with thorns surrounding her fall. She was being cut by the thorns of rose bushes that now ran along the side of her body, though the pain did not last long. She fell on her back and gasped, clutching the ground._

_She was in Roderich's house in the living room. Over in the corner was herself, along with Roderich and Elizabeta. They were all crying, but the mirror Feliciana was sobbing the most._

_Roderich left soon afterwards with Elizabeta following closely behind him. The room brightened up and then it was just Feliciana and the mirror her. The tear stains were mysteriously gone from her mirror's cheeks where a moment ago they were pouring._

_Her mirror-self came closer, giving an unnerving smile with strange half-lidded eyes. Popping up around her was a variety of birds, each with their own wicked face like a mask as they flew around. A clown could be heard wailing from a distance._

"_That's right."_

_Feliciana turned to the girl in front of her._

"_She could be dead for all we know. Hanging somewhere by a piece of her flesh. Her arm… snapped off with the bone of her shoulder sticking out. Fingers bent backward to make that... delicious snapping noise. Blood… trickling down her neck-"_

"_STOP IT!" Feliciana screamed. A panda wrapped their paws around her. Cold, icy paws. The colors faded into the only color she had been avoiding.._

"_It's just tomato juice; it's just tomato juice…!" Feliciana tried to convince herself._

"_Just tomato juice! Tomatoes! Red… blood… Lovina… dead… thank goodness..."_

_Feliciana stopped, becoming pale. __"What? No! No, no, no! __I never said that!"_

_Feliciana just laughed, saying "How could I? I am you!"_

_The world spun, blood covering the Italian head to toe. The sound of bullets hung high in the air. In just a few seconds, she found herself lying on an orange, grassy field. The sky was grey with a mixture of dark beige. The clouds all had shapes she could easily pick out. A bull ramming into a door, a rose flower just overhead of it, a snowy landscape in the horizon... Her eyes were closed as she imagined a brighter place with a warm sky and a nice breeze. Standing in all that warmth would be Ludwig, gently smiling at her._

_She sighed and reached her hand towards him. Just before she could even touch him, she woke up. Back on that red grass and darkened sky. Standing up, blood dripped from her arm, leg, and forehead. Feli's hair was messily up in a ponytail, matted with blood as well. Her dress was ruined beyond repair._

_In the center of the deserted field, the cold winds picked up as Feliciana hugged herself tighter. Squinting her eyes, she realized that there was a figure lying down not too far away from where she was standing. The thing was covered with a white sheet._

_The girl moved, ever so slowly towards the sheet. As she neared it, she reached for it, shaking. With a quick whip of her hand, she grabbed the flimsy material and threw it off. _

"_No… no, no, no, no, no…"_

_In front of her was Ludwig, face up from the grass. Blood flooded out of his heart and head. His skin became sickeningly paler than normal. Clothes tattered beyond belief. His hair was messy…_

"_Ludwig… never… has his hair like that…"_

_And above all, he was missing an eye, and as Feliciana stretched her fingers to inspect it, Ludwig suddenly opened his other eye wide open. Feliciana held back a scream and went down to touch his arm. The moment she had, his arm snapped off; the sounds of his bones crushed and shattered as the arm withered in just seconds._

_She gave another wail and walked a few steps back, only to trip over her own two feet. Feliciana gazed down and saw that she had tripped over a slowly beating, physical heart._

…_Her heart._

_The hole in her chest proved that it was hers and frantically she tried to put it back in._

_It wouldn't fit._

_She squished the heart into thousands of tiny particles. As each part hit the ground, droplets of blood came out, covering her completely. Her eyes turned black and she could see Ludwig's demented form over her. His mouth moved and though she couldn't hear him, she knew exactly what he was saying._

_"Who are you?"_

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Came a blood curdling scream from Feliciana as she sat up in bed, wide awake.

Breathing heavily and covered in sweat she checked herself. She still had her heart; Feli gave out a deep sigh as the tears freely fell from her face. A few seconds later Elizabeta came running in, turning on the light. Feliciana looked up to her and began crying hysterically. The older woman rushed to her side, cradling the teenager on the bed into her night-gown and humming a melodious lullaby and soft, sweet words.

After about fifteen minutes, Feliciana was left hiccupping and her eyes teary. Elizabeta moved the girl's bangs to the side, lightly moving her hand calmly down her long auburn hair.

"Shh…" Elizabeta whispered, lightly pulling away to see the teenager's face. "You were having a nightmare. Are you okay, sweetie?"

Feliciana sniffed and nodded her head. "I think so, yes. Oh, Elizabeta! It was terrible! Worse this time!" She hugged the woman, burying her face into Elizabeta's chest.

"L-Lovi was there... a-a-and these h-hands were c-c-covered in b-b-b-b-b-blood...! And Ludwig...!"

Elizabeta interjected before the young girl finished. "You've been having all these nightmares all week, Feli. I know that Lovina's in danger and that we're all kind of jumpy, but it'll be alright in the end. Please... try to calm down."

They sat there for a few more minutes just hugging. Though Feliciana was comfortable in this position and the way that Elizabeta was giving off a motherly feeling, she had to ask what had been bothering her. She pulled away from the Hungarian and spoke.

"…Elizabeta?" Feliciana turned her gaze to the Hungarian. "Can you… can you clearly explain to me what happened with Ludwig? A-And Lovi's kidnapping? There has to be a meaning… a connection?"

Elizabeta sighed and readjusted her position on the bed with her legs hanging over the side. Feliciana was now sitting next to her, their arms wrapped round one another with Feli's head on Elizabeta's shoulders.

"Well... It's a long story, but I'll try to shorten it a bit. Let's start with Ludwig, shall we?" Feliciana nodded.

"It starts back to when I was little. I had a friend who was cynical, weird, and just plain crazy. He also had a younger brother who was just born."

"Ludwig?"

"Yes. Anyway, we grew up together, Gilbert and I. And along the way, we found out some things about his family. Things that they didn't want us to know at that current point and time. They were involved with the mafia. Gil's and Ludwig's grandfather, Aldrich, was a traveling agent, meaning he would do lots of traveling for the mafia in other countries. While traveling he met a man who saved his life. And that man's name was Romulus."

Feliciana yelled out in surprise, her eyes wide open. "_Nonno_ was in the mafia?"

"Yes, but I'll save that for later, okay?" She gave a small smile and continued her story.

"So Aldrich and Romulus became friends, and Aldrich found out through his new friend about the truth of their mafias. The mafias... they had lost their code of conduct from how they use to be. Raping others wives and messing around with them. Many have been going into clubs and pubs, which is against their rules. Taking money that wasn't theirs. Aldrich, I think, believed the mafia was losing their way and could never be reformed into what it once was, and now needed to get rid of them entirely. So, by the time he had a plan, he was too old to actually conduct it. His son and his son's wife, Gil's and Ludwig's parents, took out the entire German mafia."

"Ve… Weren't they just regular people?" Feliciana questioned.

"No," Elizabeta said. "Actually, the Beilschmidts were top spies in the German government and were some of the best snipers in the region. They had originally been asked to monitor the mafia, but once Aldrich told them everything, including their plan, they immediately decided to take action. Not caring about what the government said and doing what they thought would be best overall, they went in and because of that incident they were labeled as the "Iron Fists" and as a danger. Many other mafias wanted them dead. One group succeeded… and to protect Ludwig, Gil left him here while he went out to get revenge for his parents, the stupid idiot. Ludwig didn't know anything until a letter was sent to him accidentally. I believe he left to find Gilbert and to stop him… or possibly join him."

Feliciana tilted her head down, her bangs covering her face partially. She wiped at her teary eyes and quickly put her head back up, giving a small smile to the older woman. "Ludwig's very kind. I think he's trying to help his brother. He has to be..." her voice dragged out and instantly the smile was gone.

"… What about Lovina?"

"Lovina… well… I'll tell you what I do know. Your grandfather was head of the Italian mafia at one point, the Boss, and after finding out about the bad deeds his gang has done he "left" the mafia and stole all the information on them and planned to kill the entire mafia; betray them, one man at a time. So I think Lovina's kidnapping is related to that, meaning that she could have been taken to a city probably in southern Italy… I'm guessing the one where your grandfather used to be in."

"Ve? Then we should go and rescue her!" Feli said, jumping up.

"We shall do _no_ such thing!" Rang out a new voice.

At the door stood Roderich, wearing a lavender bath robe with his glasses lop-sided on his face and bed hair. He had his arms crossed with an unhappy expression written on his face. "We're not going to Italy."

The teenager rushed up to him. "Why not? Why? We _need_ to get Lovi! We need to-"

"I'm going." Roderich said.

Both women stared at him. Roderich… going to Italy?

"You can't be serious, Roderich!" Yelled Elizabeta, joining Feliciana's side. "You don't know where she is! And by_ yourself?_ I'm coming too!"

Feli piped up. "Me too!"

Roderich rubbed his head, now becoming more annoyed. "First off, you two aren't coming. And second," he said, before the women could interrupt. "I'm not going alone. Antonio and Francis are coming with me. And if we can find him, that annoying albino as well."

Feliciana took a moment to think about it.

"_Albino? Gilbert? …Ludwig's with Gilbert, more than likely…"_

"I'm leaving in a few days." Roderich looked at them, sighed deeply, and brought them uncharacteristically into a hug.

"I'll be fine… we'll be fine. I want you two safe is all. And… Lizzy?" Elizabeta looked up surprised. She was never called that unless it was something serious. "I apologize for not telling you. I love you and I just want to make sure you are safe." He gave her a light kiss on the lips. She smiled and leaned more into the hug.

"I love you too."

Feliciana also smiled. "I love you both so much! Ve!"

A few minutes after the heart-warming moment, they all departed for their respected beds. However, as Feli took one last look at her mother-figure, she could have sworn there was a glint in her eyes. Then again, maybe it was just her imagination.

* * *

***A/N: **Hmm... what _is_ Elizabeta thinking?  
Btw, some of the information about the mafia I got off the net, so that way it seems a little bit more realistic. I've been learning more about the mafia from a few people actually living in Italy... It's not a good thing at all :(

And I'm sorry if the beginning half was confusing. It was meant to be like that. There are many clues in it that will foreshadow many things. Did you find a few? :3 I know of at least 4 in there, just saying~ And yes, Austria with Spain and France? Very unlikely group, I know, but it's important!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia!

**Translations: please correct me if I'm wrong!**

**Italian**

_sorella - sister_

_nonno - grandfather_


	14. Planning Together

**Part 2 *~* Chapter 13 *~* Planning Together**

* * *

"What can we do, Elizabeta?" Feliciana questioned, hugging the pillow closer to her.

The two girls sat on the bed in Feli's room. Elizabeta was staring out the window at the clear night sky with her back to Feli; both of them in night gowns. It had only been a day after Roderich left for Italy that the girls instantly became worried about him and everyone else.

Feliciana weaved a finger around some loose strands of hair and curled them. She whispered, "I want… I really want to see lovi…" Turning around, Elizabeta pulled the younger girl towards her in a hug. "I know, Feli. That's why I've thought of an idea. The Italian looked up in surprise.

"Roddy knows I'm not a _sit-down-and-watch-men-work_ kind of girl. Heck, I use to think I was a man growing up! So I have a plan." The older woman's glint in her eyes made Feliciana scared, and at the same time adventurous.

"What are you thinking of doing?"

Elizabeta smiled and dove into her pocket, taking out two small, rectangular pieces of paper.

Feli gasped. "We're going?"

"Yep! I have a friend who's going to personally fly us over tomorrow. Gave me these tickets so we can bypass security to go on his plane. He says he wants in on rescuing Lovina and he can be our escape if necessary. So pack a few things tonight, cause tomorrow we're heading for Italy."

Feli couldn't believe it. She could see Lovina again! They can rescue Lovina! She buried her head into Elizabeta's shoulder, crying.

_Just hang on, Lovina. We're coming for you!_

* * *

_I wanted to kill myself when I first heard the news. I… I would deserve anything lashed out at me. How could I have… how could I protect the one I love if I wasn't even there to begin with?_

His words echoed in his head, remembering part of his conversation with Francis on the phone. Antonio was torn beyond belief. When he had come home about a week and a half ago, parts of his house were a complete mess. At first he thought it was just Lovi being clumsy like normal, but once he entered the living room he found the bullet holes along with the broken window. Lovina had been kidnapped. He had rushed to the barn, praying she would be there and instead found his beloved bull dead. And not too far from him was blood. _Lovina's blood._

Antonio had cried, because he couldn't even protect the one he loved. Immediately he called the police to investigate and his friends. With the way he was now, it wasn't safe for him to be alone. While making a phone call to Roderich, he had found a knife with a weird but familiar insignia on it near his couch, and after describing it to him Roderich had identified it with the Italian mafia. And Antonio was scared. Lovi's family's past finally got to her and he could only hope she was safe… the blood he found… he couldn't think she was dead! He has to remain positive!

Antonio had called Francis as well as Bella. Bella agreed to look after the livestock and Francis agreed to help him find Lovina, as well as Roderich. And Gilbert too. He had been able to meet up with him several times on his trips, though most of the time they would only spend nothing more than an hour with each other due to Gilbert saying he was on the verge of finally finished what he needed to get done. Gilbert had agreed to come to Italy, mainly because he had finished investigating and said that he was now prepared. While Gilbert's well-being is important to Antonio, finding Lovina was on the top of his list at the moment.

Grabbing a backpack and a tomato, he left his house, heading out to the airport in a taxi; they were all going to meet in Rome. Antonio gave one last look at his house.

"_I swear, Lovina. I'll find you and bring you back home… mi amor…"_

* * *

"Oh! Is that _petite_ Antonio over there I see?" Francis yelled, rushing to his friend's side and giving him a hug.

"Francis! I saw you just a few months ago,_ mi amigo_!" Antonio said, pulling out of the hug. Francis turned and looked around the airport. "When are our other _nos amis_ coming to greet us?"

**SMACK!**

Francis fell to the ground, rubbing his cheek.

"Uncomposed as ever I see, Francis." Roderich said, hand high in the air from where Francis's face was only a moment before. Francis yelled back angrily at him. "What was that for? Why does everyone pick on big brother Francis?"

Antonio gave a light chuckle while Francis stood back up, brushing off his navy suit. Roderich said, "That is very simple. Remember our last reunion? I was not very happy either when you touched my wife, you idiot."

"Th-that was a long time ago! _Pardonnez et oubliez_!"

"You moron! _Ein Klaps für einen Klaps,_ as they say then!"

Roderich pushed his glasses back up and readjusted his dark purple coat. Now looking at the two, Antonio noticed how well they were dressed compared to his normal tan (but still good-looking in his opinion) farming outfit.

"Hey, why are you two dressed so fancy?"

The two turned to look at him in disbelief.

"Dear Antonio, Italians dress very well (as so do the French!)." Francis said, showing off his looks. "Quite true." Roderich said. "Though you look a little undressed compared to an Italian, I believe your looks will pass at the very least."

"Oh!" Antonio said, smiling brightly. "Well, thanks! But I'd rather show my Spanish side if I'd have to show one!"

A rough, German voice interrupted their conversation. "Damn right, Antonio!"

The three men turned to their right as the man approached them. White, spikey hair and pale skinned with dark red eyes. He wore a blue German Uniform with black boots and gloves. An Iron Cross hung snugly around his neck. He smirked as the yellow canary on his shoulder gave a chirp.

"Kesese~! You all look dumbstruck! Surprised to see the awesome me?"

Francis and Antonio rushed towards Gilbert, the force making them all fall on the floor laughing. Roderich just sighed at the immature behavior.

"The Bad Touch Trio is back, baby!"

* * *

The four men decided to stay at a nearby hotel while they made a plan of how to retrieve Lovina (and to kill whoever killed his parents for Gilbert). Antonio was lying on the couch while Francis and Roderich were drinking tea at the kitchen table. Gilbert was leaning against the counter, playing with his pet bird.

"Say," Antonio began, looking over the couch. "I thought… Ludwig would be joining us? I mean, he was following Gilbert."

Gilbert perked up, hearing his brother's name. The other two shifted uncomfortably. Francis said softly, "None of us has seen the boy. Not since he left."

"What?_"_ Gilbert turned to Roderich, his eyes seriously questioning the Austrian as he started to get mad.

"Roddy, what the hell does he mean that Ludwig was following me_?"_

Giving a sigh and answering quickly before Gilbert went overboard, Roderich replied "He left about five years ago, apparently looking for you or something! Last I heard he was staying with a friend of yours, but I have no idea, he won't contact us and I didn't recognize the handwriting of the letter. It was in the middle of the night when he left and I only know what Feliciana told me."

"Wait, Feliciana?"

"Romulus's youngest granddaughter. She was apparently there the night Ludwig left. She was highly upset for the next few months."

"So West found a little girlfriend, huh? Ha!" After chuckling for a brief moment, Gilbert got quiet as ran a hand through his spikey hair. "Must've been really important to him to follow me, especially if he left his girlfriend… for me… and I'm guessing it was due to that letter I accidentally sent. Vash yelled at me for calling him brother and I figured I must've mixed letters, but I didn't think Ludwig would react to it like this."

Gilbert walked over to the fridge, grabbing a beer he bought earlier. He pulled the tab and gulped some of it down, giving a satisfactory sigh. He sat down in a chair across from Roderich, drink in hand. "I hope West's alright. I'm such a terrible brother…"

"No, don't say that Gil." Francis said, leaning in on the table, resting his chin on his interlaced hands. "Remember Madeline as a teenager? She was _so_ rebellious! I didn't even know such a side existed!" Gilbert scoffed. "Just because Birdie got tired of your perverted attitude doesn't mean you should get hurt! And she's your cousin!"

"But she was like a sister~_ très mignon petite Madeline était!"_

Roderich stood up and placed his empty tea cup over by the kitchen sink. "You're all idiots! Shouldn't we be planning how we're going into the mafia headquarters?"

"Kesese, calm down Roddy. It's nice to loosen up for a bit!"

Roderich sighed and walked to the doorway of the bedroom. "I'll be waiting in here. Tell me when you are ready to begin planning." And he left with a swish of his long elegant suit and a shut of the door.

"Man, Roddy sure has a stick up his ass."

"… he has a point."

The Frenchman and German turned to the man hidden behind the couch with his face up and eyes closed. Gilbert asked, "What was that, Toni?"

"You have no idea… what I'm going through. Gil, you have been protecting your borther to the point you took on everything and Ludwig is out there trying to find you. Franny, you half raised Madeline and she has a great respect for you. Me… Lovina… I let her be taken. I didn't stop the men… I'm such a horrible guardian… _incluso sensación de que esta_… I can't protect her…"

Francis got up and walked over to the couch and sat on the edge closest to Antonio's head.

"Antonio, it's not oblivious to us that you have grown feelings for her." Antonio looked up, his facial expression showing a state of shock. Francis chuckled. "You cannot hide it from _moi._ I know all of _l'amour_ and I can see it in your eyes and tone of voice. You love her, don't you? Not as a family member, but as a woman, am I right?"

"But…" Antonio covered his eyes with one arm. "But I can't, Franny! I raised her for 6 years! _6 years!_ I'm not supposed to feel like this at all! She's supposed to be like family to me, not like a… a…"

"A lover, yes, it's odd but not uncommon! And it is okay, Antonio, you aren't related at all and she isn't that much younger from you yourself. If you love her, go for it, _mon ami."_

"Yeah, Toni." Gilbert said, placing himself on the other end of the couch. "Like with me and Birdie. She's younger than me by 5 years, but we're totally awesome for each other! Just unleash that sexy Spanish side of you and she'll fall for you!"

"But-!"

"No buts!" Francis interrupted. "And from what I remember, she loves you the same way you do. She never once let go of you when you got hurt from that bull of yours, remember? She refused to leave your side. I'm sure that she returns the same feelings you have. And soon enough, we'll have her back, okay?"

Antonio uncovered his eyes, revealing his teary, hopeful face. "Really?"

Gilbert smirked and gave a thumbs up.

"Fuck Yeah!"

Francis wiped Antonio's eyes with a handkerchief he had on him. The Spaniard laughed as he sat up, wiping his eyes with his hands now. "Thank you. Both of you. You guys are the best, best friends in history!" He opened his arms as the other two men complied and gave him a hug back.

After a moment in the embrace, Gilbert yelled out, jumping from the circle. "Oi! Franny! Keep your hands to yourself, damn it!"

Francis only gave a wink in response.

* * *

It was now late into the night when the men met at the kitchen table, each occupying a seat. Gilbert spread across the table a few papers and models of a building.

"Alright, so ya gonna need my help if you want in. The place is crawling with fuckin' security, but it's usually weak mafia members. While in Liechtenstein, I met a girl who had acquired some of this information. Apparently their main hideout is in this abandoned gelato building, so we should try there first before attempting any of the other hideouts. The structure of the building is this," Gilbert said, pointing to a blueprint.

"We'll split up. The girl told me that the freezer area near the middle of the building is where most prisoners are held. Good thing is that it's easy access; very straightforward. Bad thing is that that head is only a staircase away, his office right here. So Roddy and me will go in through the small window in the east and take care of the guards there. Franny and Antonio will go through the west. You'll need a grippler hook to the window on that side, but you both are strong in climbing and jumping. There'll be a few ledges, but again you should be fine. We'll meet up in the freezer and take Lovina. I'll make sure the place gets a real show, so once you have Lovina make a beeline for it, got it? And that's it. Simple and sweet."

The other men nodded their heads. Antonio in particular had a dark look on his face... Roderich, on the other hand, crossed his arms and said, "How are we going to protect ourselves, Gilbert?" The albino only smirked and brought out a metal case, revealing an arrangement of guns.

"Got most of these from Vash. I have five more cases, so just pick the one you know best and you're all set. Any more problems?"

The men were silent. "Then tomorrow night we strike. Hell ya!"

* * *

***A/N: **Uh, hi! Long time no see! School finally caught up with me D: But I'm here now! That's gotta count, right? /dodges the tomatoes being thrown at her

So quite a few things revealed in this chapter. Fem!Canada mentioned! Yeah, it's Prucan. And Liechtenstein as well (she hasn't met Vash yet, which is why there is no connection between the two). Also if you haven't noticed, I updated all of the other chapters and re-edited some of them. It's not necessary to go and read them again, I just added little details and whatnot.

I'll try and post the next chapter within the month. I gotta be better at this -.-;

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia in any way, shape, or form.**

**Translations: Please correct me if I am wrong.**

**Spanish:**

_mi amor - my love_

_mi amigo - my friend_

_incluso sensación de que esta - even feeling like this_

**French:**

_petite - little_

_nos amis - our friends_

_Pardonnez et oubliez - forgive and forget_

_très mignon petite Madeline était! - so cute little Madeline was!_

_moi - me_

_l'amour - love_

_mon ami - my friend_

**German:**

_Ein Klaps für einen Klaps - A smack for a smack_

_Bruder - Brother_


	15. Pawn

**Part 2 *~* Chapter 14 *~* Pawn**

* * *

Yao paced heavily inside the dark office in Italy. Ivan had called him, his voice happier than it ever had before, and it completely unnerved Yao. The Russian must have had something gone his way if he was sounding like that.

"_Shit. This is Ivan we're talking about! As much as I would love to try and help him mentally, if he's done something too crazy… though it's already too late for that!" _Yao glanced at the door and cupped his chin with his hand, resting the other on his hip. "_I'm getting in too deep here. I was only supposed to assist with information…"_

The door creaked open, snapping Yao out of his thoughts. Ivan came in, wearing that same coat and scarf as before, smiling brightly as though he had just opened the best Christmas present ever. This did not help Yao's nerves.

"Come with me. I found something exciting." Ivan said, waving the Chinese man on. Giving Ivan a stern look, he strode out of the office and followed him. They walked down a staircase and entered a heavy steel door with two guards stationed right next to it. When the door opened, the temperature had dropped heavily compared to the warmth of the office. Yao sneezed and exclaimed, "It's freezing!"

"Of course! This is the freezer room. It helps to stop intruders. This is nothing compared to my home back in Russia." Yao shivered, and it wasn't just because of the temperature.

Yao only took a brief glance of the empty, steel room before they walked through another set of doors, the temperature dropping much more than before. In front of them were six more doors, each bold and iron-cladded. Ivan opened the last door on the left and invited Yao in. He walked through, beginning to become skeptical as he tried to adjust to the little light in the small room (which was much warmer, thank goodness!)

The door shut tight and a single light bulb above them turned on. Yao's eyes widened like a flying saucer and inwardly cursed.

Lying on the floor, chained to the wall wearing only bloodied stained shorts and a large bloody t-shirt, was a girl with brown curly hair. Her hair was in an array and she had a purple bruise on her cheek. A badly wrapped bandage was on her thigh and shoulder. A few cuts and bruises trailed along her arms and legs. He recognized her from the photographs.

This was one of the Vargas children. Yao turned to Ivan and said, "She is alive, right?"

"_Da._ She is. How else can I draw out her sister? It would be no fun if I disposed of her so quickly. I do like challenges."

"So… is she…"

"She is only unconscious as of right now. Some of my men went to that spot you mention and found her home within the boundaries we set up. _Не проблема_."

As though in a trance, the Chinese man could only look at the poor girl, making several mental notes. Ivan spoke up, grabbing Yao by his shoulder. "We should go. We have much to discuss."

Yao gave one look back towards the girl as Ivan shut the door, leading him back through the cold room.

* * *

With the Vargas girl's leg in her lap, a woman wearing blue overalls and a white shirt and boots sat in the dimly lit room bandaging her leg with the bullet wound. Her light blonde hair was held back by blue barrettes and a matching headband.

"This was improper bandaging… those Italian mafia members can't wrap properly! And yet _младший брат_ wanted to keep her alive, well this is no way to do it!" A few minutes later she finished wrapping up the wound. As she prepared to unchain the girl to work on her shoulder, her warm blue eyes met an angry ember. The woman screamed, falling back and crying hysterically while on her knees.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to intrude upon you! I'm sorry!" She wailed.

The Vargas girl gave her a strange look and tried to move, yelling out in pain as she seemed to remember her wounds.

"Oh! You shouldn't move much! You were shot in the leg and shoulder and it can get infected! I was trying to re-bandage it for you. I'm Katyusha by the way. Or Kat for short."

The girl nodded and closed her eyes. Kat assumed that it was due to her injuries. Kat unchained the girl's hands from the wall and proceeded to take off the girl's shirt, having slight problems due to her own larger-than-normal chest getting in the way.

"Can I have your name?" The woman asked, taking off the old bloodied bandage. "It's easier to communicate if I know who you are. I wasn't told all that much. Um… if you can and if it doesn't hurt too much-"

"L-Lovin…a." the girl said, her voice barely even audible as she gave the woman a pained look. Kat applied the alcoholic liquid onto the bullet wound as Lovina tried to hold back a yell.

"I'm so sorry. Truly I am." Katyusha said, her smile disappearing. She picked up the new bandage and unrolled the gauze. "My _младший брат_ ordered for something horrible to be done to you… And you are so young to be involved in this type of business."

Lovina coughed and then looked at her, asking for more information.

"I guess you're still out of it due to your wounds and concussion. You are inside an old factory, taken over by the Italian mafia, of which my brother, Ivan, is in charge."

The Italian widened her yes as Kat continued.

"You're here because _младший брат_ can't forgive your grandfather for killing our sister, Natalia. I understand from your grandfather's point of view and I kind of agree with him, but not completely. This whole mafia thing shouldn't even exist in my opinion. It's torn our own family apart… and to drag you into it when you're not even involved? Just terrible to you and your sister. I don't want any pair of sisters to go through what Nat and I went through..."

Lovina snapped up, eyes more alerted and ablaze as she tried to make the words form.

"W-whe… re's… w-where's… m-my s-s-sister?"

She brought up her hand from her good arm onto Kat's hand. Katyusha placed the bandage down and helped Lovina back into her shirt. She said, "Don't worry. She's still safe. _младший брат_ doesn't have her, so wherever she's at, she's still there."

Lovina sighed, showing a small smile before covering it back up with her usual mask.

"But," Katyusha said, her face turning into a grimace. "Your friends aren't. They're planning something. I don't know when or what, but I think they're coming for you. Which only means that _младший брат_ is planning something for them."

She clasped the Italian's hands back onto the hand cuffs attached to the wall. Lovina's attention was fully on Kat.

"I'm sorry that you have to be here for something you are not involved in. I have to go, _младший брат_ does not know I'm down here. A kind man, Yao Wang, let me in to help you when he noticed your wounds earlier while you were unconscious. If you ever meet him, you should thank him. I'll try and come back whenever I can, but until then, please stay alive. You have a sister still waiting for you…" Katyusha said, standing up and leaving before Lovina could even get any words to come out of her mouth.

* * *

***A/N: **So soon? What's wrong with you? XD Yes, an update that was quick! I haven't typed out the next chapter, so it'll be a while but not too painfully long (hopefully).

Thank you guys so much for all the favorites and alerts and reviews!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

**Translations: please correct me if I'm wrong.**

**Russian:**

_Da - yes_

_Не проблема - not a problem_

_младший брат - younger brother_


	16. Red

**Part 2 *~* Chapter 15 *~* Red**

* * *

"Thanks for the lift, Alfred. I really owe you one." Elizabeta said from the cock pit. She was in a small, fast airplane that had a few seats and the pilot control room, which had enough room for two people, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, tan pants, and her brown boots. The pilot, a strong young man in a brown bomber jacket with blue jeans and blonde hair (with one strand strangely standing up), turned to her, his blue eyes sparkling from behind his glasses.

He gave a thumbs up and said, "No prob, dude! Just make me an' old Artie some of those apple strudel stuff and we're set!"

"You mean my almás rétes? Sure, anytime sweetie." She replied with a smile on her face.

Elizabeta glanced back to Feliciana, who was fast asleep on the seats in the back with her head against a pillow on the arm rest in an outfit similar to the older woman's. For a few minutes, the Hungarian watched the girl as she slept peacefully. Elizabeta's smile faltered a little as she leaned back against her seat. "I feel bad for her. After years of pain and now this… I wish I could protect her better. I haven't been a good mother figure to her." She sighed.

Alfred hummed. "But ya know," he said, turning his attention to the American flag on his dashboard. "You were her shoulder to cry on, right? That's the least anyone would want. Heck, I never had one before Artie came into my life, with my parents divorced and being separated from my own sis. So it must mean a lot to Feli over there."

Elizabeta watched as Feliciana's chest rose up and down gently. Elizabeta said, "It's a painful thing… being separated from all of your loved ones. She's so strong… she was always smiling and trying not to show the pain to others."

Alfred chuckled a bit and clasped his hand on her shoulder. He turned towards her and gave a wink. "From one smiling idiot to another, she has a reason to smile though. Because she's smiling, that also means that she has hope to meet them once again. It's like that saying, 'The further away the heart grows fonder' or whatever it is. She can smile because you've been there to encourage her to continue."

The Hungarian gave him a gentle smile. "Thanks, Alfred. You are really something different, you know?" They both look out into the darkening sky. The sun was just setting over the horizon, giving the land a soft, golden glow. "Well," Alfred said, laughing. "That's what Artie tells me a lot!"

* * *

It was a quiet night when the four men left to retrieve Lovina. Once the lights in the street had fallen silent, they set out on their quest. Thanks to Gilbert, they had any and all needed equipment. It was a good thing to be the son of ex-mafia members and friends with people who could give them such equipment.

Armed with guns, the four men gave a light nod before separating into two groups. Antonio and Francis to the west, Gilbert and Roderich to the east.

As Antonio moved with Francis closer towards the mafia building, he tried to calm his nerves for a moment.

"_Lovina will be okay, Lovina will be okay, Lovina wi-"_

"Antonio, she will be fine."

He snapped his head to the left. Francis lowered the gun in his arms, placing a hand on the Spaniard's shoulder. Antonio only locked eyes with his friend's for a short moment before turning his own green eyes downward. "I just can't help it, Franny. If she gets hurt because I didn't-"

"It will not be because of you! And we are going to make things right, yes? Then onwards, with nothing holding us back."

Francis gave a smile and smacked Antonio's back. "Besides, we all have been trained by Aldrich at some point and time, yes? I'm sure through your own power that you will be able to do what you came here for."

The two friends shared a quick, hefty laugh. Antonio gave Francis a heartfelt hug. "Thank you. So… show time?"

"Show time."

Cocking the gun, Antonio took a deep breath and focused.

He needed to_ get in_…_ not kill_ anyone if avoidable… _save Lovina_…

His eyes snapped open and ran with Francis following not far behind. Ignoring the grappling hook in his bag, he quickly climbed up the tree, unlocked the window and jumped in, kicking a guard in the face with the butt of his gun and knocking him out. Once Francis got in (Antonio had to hook the grappling hook to the window since Francis refused to climb the "dirty" tree), he point to the right and they nodded their heads together. Those three thoughts were only what fueled Antonio as they passed through the long, dimly lit hallways.

* * *

Francis knew that putting Antonio in this set of mind might be dangerous, but they needed this. If they had a chance of getting through here alive, they needed to take it. Giving a guard a good punch in the chin, he looked to Antonio, violently pushing down several guards.

When Antonio was in this mode, he is like a raging bull that can only focus on the movement of red. The secret as the why you never mess with Antonio.

And Antonio knew of his actions, but did not care to think of it. After his parents had died, Antonio joined a rogue gang, hurting others and stealing. That was how they met, when Antonio was knocked out in an alleyway one day, Francis passed by him as he was on his way to his relatives in Spain with his parents. They had bonded so quickly… and with Gilbert who had been long-time friends already with Francis, they were unstoppable.

Antonio stopped as Francis crashed into him, knocking his nose into the wall. "_Mon ami_, what the hell is the matter? Time is running short! We must go!"

Antonio turned and said, "Just in case, you know I love you, right?" Francis sighed, a little annoyed. "Yes yes, we all love each other, but we must go! Antonio, I know what you mean but if we wish to rescue Lovina, we must carry on."

Antonio nodded and opened another door revealing another hallway. Guns at the ready they raced onward to Lovina.

* * *

Like a dark shadow in the middle of a forest during a moonless night, he walked. He had mastered the ability of using his stealth and hearing. He has watched this place for many weeks, studying, surveying the outsides, and sometimes disguising himself as well.

Currently he was dressed up like one of the guards, walking down a lone hallway. He had heard the rumors as to who would be coming to invade the factory.

At the end of the hallway, there was a steel door, protected by two guards. He flashed them his fake id, thanks to a guard he had found drunk one night who luckily looked similar to him, and went into the room.

Many computers sat in this place, though only one was left on. There were normally a lot of guards here. _"Something must be up to leave this room practically unprotected."_ He thought.

He logged onto the computer, getting into the security cameras of the building. A flash of white caught his eye and he zoomed in on the figure. Two men were running down a hallway from the east. It only took a brief moment for the man to realize where they were heading.

The prisoner block. But… didn't a guard say earlier that's where Ivan would be?

* * *

***A/N: **It's been a while! Sorry, I just now figured out where I want the story to go and so here's a short chapter. Next chapter will be longer, I guarantee!

Thank you guys so much for the reviews, story alerts, and favorites! It really means a lot to me :)

_Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of its characters._


	17. Being Rescued

**Part 2 *~* Chapter 16 *~* Being Rescued**

* * *

Feliciana, Elizabeta, and Alfred were only a few minutes from the old ice cream factory in Italy, carefully hiding in a few bushes. The last thing they needed was coming so far and being caught. Feli didn't know what plan Elizabeta had in mind, but she had been told to stick close to the older woman. Besides, Lovina was involved, and she wasn't going to give up knowing that her sister was in danger. She looked to her left where Alfred was and noticed the shotgun in his hand. On her other side Elizabeta also had a gun as well. Did she know how to use a gun?

"Yes, I do know how to use it, Feli." Elizabeta said quietly, giving a wink.

"V-ve! Can you read minds? That's amazing!"

"Shh, we need to keep quiet Feli."

Feliciana shook her head and mouthed a quiet sorry. Elizabeta continued. "It's written on your face, about the gun. I use to be a part of a high secret agency back in Hungary. Though I also have this," she said, pulling out an all too familiar frying pan. "This is my preferred weapon of choice, but the gun is just in case. You don't know how to use one, so you'll be with me the entire time. I'll protect you, so don't worry."

Elizabeta gave a smile and put the gun in her pant pocket, turning to Alfred. "So what's our plan of action?"

"Well," Alfred started, scanning the building. "I think someone is already ahead of us. Those guys are toasted down there!"

True to his word, when Feliciana looked down there were several guards on the west side that were lying on the ground like they were knocked out. One of them was involuntarily shaking due to his lack of clothes.

"I'd say that someone took care of 'em and stole that dude's dreads. So-"

"Someone is already here, trying to break in." Elizabeta finished. Feliciana softly spoke as she intervened between the two. "Is Lovina going to be okay?"

The Hungarian gave her a quick hug and a pat on the back. She flashed another smile, getting a firm grasp on Feli's hand and pulling her down the hill. "She'll be fine. And remember Feli, stay close to me or Alfred. Don't run off, and try to stay quiet as much as possible We're going to follow this plan…"

* * *

The cold darkness of this room comforted Lovina in an odd way. She didn't really have use for her eyesight; not when all of her other senses were overloading. The pain she felt on her back and the continued beatings… plus where the bullets had once been… Damn, this all for being involuntarily involved with the mafia… Lovina wondered when or if she'd see Antonio again. After all, she was never really able to tell him-

The door suddenly opened, revealing the bastard with the iron pipe. He gave her a small smile with which she returned with a growl.

"Fiesty, I see. Come. We have a visitor waiting."

And he struck her leg with the pipe as she held back the pained yell. Ivan untied her from the wall and picked her up over his shoulder. He walked out of the cold room, she could tell, but because of the light Lovina had no idea where she was or what to do exactly. _"Dammit… I can't even move."_

Ivan moved with ease as he went about. The Italian could only hold onto the man and pray for her life. Not even five minutes later, they arrived at an empty room with little light. Lovina gave a yell as he threw her to the floor, chaining her once again.

"Don't worry little one." She heard as the heavy boots exited the room. "I'll take care of your friends very quickly." And the door slammed shut, the remnants of the echo leaving Lovina to her thoughts.

Friends…?

…_Antonio?_

She crashes into a desk as she began to realize the extent of Ivan's words. Antonio was here. And he was planning to dispose of him. Lovina began to cry as she tried to think of a plan, but she knows that she is in no condition to even try.

But she must.

Struggling, she begins to thrash around, shaking her arms and legs. Yelling, something… Anything to be heard with her hoarse voice. Lovina was not expecting the door to open once more with two men entering. For a moment she thought her Russian kidnapper had come back with a guard, but instead two strange men walked in. One was wearing a uniform similar to the Russian bastard, the other was wearing a foreign uniform that Lovina couldn't make out. Before she even said a word, the man with the similar-looking uniform unchained her with a key from his pocket and said, "Don't worry, everything will be alright."

The other man crouched down and inspected her. He began to change the few bandages that were visible. "We still have sometime before anything drastic happens, aru. We'll try to have you out of here before this building collapses."

* * *

***A/N: **I'm such a bad person ;A; I promised a longer chapter, only to give you a shorter one! And Happy New Year everyone! School has continued for me, and thus most of my time is being wasted there instead of here.

Though it was a short chapter, I gave some more hints in here ;D And to let you know, there will be 20 chapters total. The next one has to be longer because it's the confrontation! Muahahaha~

_Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia in any way, shape, or form._


	18. The Confrontation

**Part 2 *~* Chapter 17 *~* The Confrontation**

* * *

"Hurry the fuck up, Roddy! We need to get going!" Gilbert yelled as he ran into the next hallway. Roderich, panting from all of the running, leaned against a wall for a moment to catch his breath. Gilbert gave out another cry. "We don't have time to catch our breaths!"

Roderich groaned as he started running again. Ever since he was young, Roderich was a poor athlete and was terrible at anything that included physical strength. Especially when compared to someone like Gilbert, who didn't seem to have a stop button.

Jogging over into the next corner, Roderich bumped into said person. "Ouch!" He rubbed his forehead. "I thought you said we had to hurry, you fool?" Roderich took a look over his shoulder and gasped. Before them was a staircase leading down, completely dark and the air becoming much colder than before. If he squinted his eyes, Roderich could see a large steel door at the bottom.

"Is that…?"

"Yes. That should be where Lovina is. And possibly _him_."

Gilbert began to his descent when Roderich placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to the Austrian and gave him a confused look. "Roddy, we need to head down there now-"

"A moment is all I ask, _Gilbert_. A minute, please."

Roderich stared into Gilbert's red eyes, pleading him to do this. Gilbert didn't like the idea of being stopped when his parents' murderer was just a staircase away, the thought of being so close to revenge. But the look Roderich was giving him, it had to be very important. Gilbert tsked and impatiently nodded his head, motioning him to quickly speak.

"What do you plan on doing when you get down there? Do you plan on killing him?"

"What the hell else am I going to do? That bastard-!"

"We're both grown men and I know you can think for yourself Gilbert, but don't you think this is foolish to try and get revenge for your parents? Would your parents be happy knowing that their eldest son is going to-"

"Roderich!" Gilbert took several steps down the stairs, now out of reach from Roderich who stopped talking. Roderich gave a sigh, adjusting his glasses.

Gilbert wasn't glaring or showing any sign that he was angry at the aristocrat. Instead, he was slightly smirking and gave a light laugh. "You… Honestly, ever since I met you and Lizzy as kids, you've never changed! Always the same, bratty aristocrat!"

Gilbert turned around, facing away from Roderich. "But… you aren't bad, thinking of me like this. I really appreciate it, Roddy, but I _will_ do what I have to do."

Gripping his gun tighter and now on full alert, Gilbert descended. It took Roderich a moment before following after. He whispered underneath his breath, "Just don't do anything stupid, you idiot…"

Gilbert opened the enormous door as a gush of icy cold air greeted them. The room was too dark to see anything properly, and for a moment Roderich thought that there was nothing in there. There simply couldn't be anything here. It felt too empty. It just felt like a cold, silent winter night.

They briefly wandered around, separating to look for another door. As Roderich walked forward, a freezing hand suddenly touched his shoulder. Roderich gasped, knocking it off hastily and rushing back to where he knew Gilbert was. Gilbert had his gun up and pointing at where the Austrian had just been.

"I know you're there, Braginski. "

A child-like chuckle was heard as the light was flipped on. The room was average sized, completely made of steel it seemed, and on the other side of Roderich and Gilbert was another large door. In front of it was where Ivan stood tall, smiling at them with a pipe in his hand. He was dressed as though he was about to go out on an artic expedition with that large beige coat, hefty boots, and lavender scarf.

Ivan's huge gloved hands clenched his pipe tighter as he took a step forward, echoing though the room. A giggle escaped though his pale lips as he gave the two a look over with his dark violet eyes. His smile widened when he saw Gilbert.

"Ah, hello friends!" He said, slamming the pipe down into his other hand in a motion that made it seem like he would be beating them at any given second. Gilbert snarled and kept his gun aimed at him.

"No way in _hell_ are we friends, you bastard!"

Gilbert took a shot but before Roderich could even register what had happened, Ivan had blocked it with his pipe. How was that even possible?! The Russian giggled more. "That's no way to treat a friend, comrade~!" He took another step forward.

"… You know exactly why I'm here, Braginski."

"To avenge your poor parents and to take back the older Vargas girl. _Da, _I know." Ivan said simply. He moved towards the men with another step forward. "Let's make this fair. The prison rooms are right behind me. Let your friend in and we can settle our fight by ourselves like men. He doesn't have anything to do with this. Leave him out. What do you say, friend?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Gilbert looked over at Roderich, who was staring wide-eyed back at him. After a minute, the albino nodded at Roderich. As Roderich began to walk around, Gilbert grabbed his arm and whispered to him, "When you get the chance, go back there and find Lovina quickly. Keep that gun in your hand ready. I'm going to take him on my own. I have to." Before Roderich could argue or even speak another word, Gilbert jumped at the Russian, who block his attack with his pipe.

"I see you have chosen your death, comrade." He backed up, the smile even larger but in no means childlike anymore. "I shall grant your wish."

He swung his weapon at Gilbert's head, of which he countered the attack with his gun and gave a round kick to the taller man. Though it hit Ivan in the stomach, it seemed like it had no effect. Ivan laughed, charging at Gilbert once more.

When the fighting had begun, it had given Roderich enough time to slip past the two and run into the rooms on the other side. He could only hope that this was the best decision as he shut the door behind him, entering a room far colder than the previous one. There were more doors in there, and all had to weigh several tons.

Groaning inwardly, Roderich began to pry the first door open, praying that Lovina would be behind this door. It took several minutes due to the weight and height of the door, but when it revealed nothing inside, Roderich sighed. Looks like this wasn't going to be a task easily done in a few minutes.

* * *

Lovina was barely awake now as the Chinese man finished dressing her wounds. "_Just who in the hell was this man?"_ He motioned for the other man to pick her up as he opened the door, taking a quick look around. The other man fixed his hat and gently picked her up carefully and with ease. Lovina, still very weak, looked-over him. His blue eyes, glancing at her worriedly, made her gasp.

"_It's not possible… He can't be…"_

Lovina stuttered. "N-No… way… Y-You-"

"I don't have time to explain everything, Lovina. We need to get you out first before anything else can be done." He said, turning towards the door. Without another word spoken from any of them, they rushed down the hallway. This was all too fast and too much for Lovina to take in. These guys come in, fix her up, and were telling her that the building was going to collapse?

Some time after they started running (Lovina didn't know when, everything was becoming a blur to her), Lovina spoke up, still confused about the man holding her. It was like something out of a dream. Just too unusual to be true, to be reality...

"You bastard. Don't you… know how much… pain you… caused?" she closed her eyes, leaning more into his arms. The man only grunted, not missing a single step.

"I'll make it up to you guys. I'm sorry… I had to go. I _needed_ to go. I hope you can forgive me, Lovina. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to protect-"

"Over there!" The Chinese man interrupted, pointing down another corridor. "There should be an emergency exit somewhere in that hall that will lead to another hallway. The exit is at the end through one of the doors and it will lead you out of here. When you get there, keep running and don't turn back, alright?"

The man holding her nodded. "Yes. We will-" the man's words were cut off at the sight of two people that were at the end of the hall, blocking them.

Lovina gasped, tears rolling down her cheeks. For at the end of the hall with a gun in hand and his emerald eyes ablaze was Antonio with Francis right behind him. Everything slowed down for her at that moment; she was unable to look away from the scene in front of her. Antonio was here. _Antonio was here_. _Oh God_, Antonio was here…!

Lovina tried to sit up more, tried to get a better look at Antonio, but the pain in her back and leg was too much and she gave a yelp. She clutched more onto the man holding her, squeezing her eyes shut.

All of a sudden there was a loud thud and it sounded as though someone had hit the floor. Lovina opened one eye to see that Antonio had knocked the Chinese man into the wall. He gave a cry and clutched his head as blood flowed down his face. Antonio, turning towards Lovina, took one look at them and what Lovina saw gave her the most spine-chilling feeling. His eyes were dark... furious even. It was full of hatred and so… unlike him.

It scared Lovina.

Though she was reassured now seeing that he had come to her, Lovina was frightened by the way he looked. This couldn't really be Antonio… could it?

"Antonio…!" The man holding her said, sounding slightly surprised. "Antonio, please listen to me for a moment! We need to-"

In the flash of an eye, Antonio pointed his gun at the man's head.

"You put her down right now unless you want a fucking bullet _permanently_ attached to your skull." His voice was full of venom, unlike anything Lovina had ever heard. Francis walked up behind Antonio and gave a shout, pulling on Antonio's arm. "You…! Antonio, calm down, take a look at who is holding her! Please Antonio, just look!"

Antonio snarled at Francis and scrutinized back at the man. The man adjusted Lovina carefully in his arm as he took off his hat, throwing it to the ground. A few moments passed, and Antonio nearly dropped his gun once he recognized the man.

"You…! Why didn't you say anything? _Dios mios_, I could have killed you! But why…? _How…?_"

"Now is not the time to explain, we need to get out of here!"

"Huh? Why?"

"The building is going to explode. Yao was showing us the way out, which is through that door there." He pointed to a door nearby the two.

Lovina looked to her right to see Yao sit up, rubbing his head. The blood had stopped, thought he didn't bother wiping any of it off of his face. "If you want to live, now might be a good time to get out of here."

Francis and Antonio gasped, their eyes widening.

"No way…" Francis said.

"But… Gilbert and Roderich are still here!" Antonio exclaimed. "They went to the basement!"

Yao muttered a curse and stood up, leaning onto the wall. "I have to go back down anyway, so I'll go get them as well-"

"No." The man holding her tightened his grip on her ever so slightly.

"I'll go with you, Yao. I have to go." He turned to Francis and Antonio. "I _need_ to go. But one or both of you must take Lovina out of here. Please."

Antonio seemed to be at a loss of what to do before Francis put his hand on his shoulder. "I know that you want to help Gilbert, and I do too, but I also know that all you really want to do right now is be with Lovina."

"But-"

"No buts, _mon ami_! Get Lovina out to safety and I'll handle our friend. Don't forget that when I focus, I can accomplish anything! And I'll make sure to get Gilbert out in one piece. It wouldn't be fun anymore without the third member of our little group." He gave a light laugh and gestured Antonio to pick up Lovina. The Spaniard nodded and turned to Lovina. She could tell, now that Antonio wasn't in a fit of rage anymore, that he almost broke in two at the sight of her. She couldn't blame him. She would probably feel the same if she saw Antonio in the state she was in.

"Anton…. io…" She said, sniffling and giving him one of her rare smiles. Antonio walked over to her, gently smiling at her while trying not to cry at her condition, wiping away the tears that Lovina didn't even know were flowing down her cheeks. He placed a kiss on her cheek and carefully took her from the man holding her and brought her into his arms.

His arms… There was no other place Lovina would rather be than here in his arms, safe…

When Lovina glanced up at him, she was shocked. Antonio was _crying_. It wasn't the kind of tears he'd give when she refused to share her tomato or when she was against going out for dinner a few times. Silent tears plummeted down his face and he wasn't holding back. He brought his head next to hers and gave sob. "I'm so sorry for not helping you… I'm sorry for not protecting you when you needed me. I can never forgive myself for that. And I promise, after all of this is over, to protect you better."

He took her good hand and gave it a light squeeze. "I have so much I want- no, _need_ to say, but it'll have to wait. I am just so glad that you are safe, Lovina…!"

Lovina cried with him, and even though it was for a moment, it felt like it was just the two of them, weeping together. She removed her hand from his and wiped his tears. "Thank you for… coming to get me… Antonio. I knew… you'd come… Thank… you so much…"

It felt like much time had passed for Lovina, though it was really only a minute they had this moment. Only a minute that they had been reunited. Antonio straightened up, focused now, though he never took his eye off of Lovina. "We need to focus on getting away from here. As far as possible."

Lovina nodded.

A cough interrupted them, and Lovina tried to angrily glare at the person who dared to try and ruin her moment with Antonio. The Spaniard lightly laughed and looked over to Yao, who had spoken up. "We need to go now if we want to be able to make it out of here in time."

Francis looked to Antonio and waved.

"Take care, Francis."

"Of course, Antonio. I will make sure everything will be taken care of." Francis, Yao, and the man ran back, disappearing from sight. Antonio sighed and turned towards the door that would lead them out.

"Don't worry, Lovina, I'll protect you. Forever and always, I swear." He said as he opened the door, adjusting the young woman in his arms.

Lovina smiled and closed her eyes, finally able to peacefully rest.

"I know you will… idiot."

* * *

"Stick close to me, Feli! We don't know if or when someone will come out at us." Elizabeta said, gripping her gun. Alfred was leading them into the building.

"Okay!" Feliciana responded, staying as close to Elizabeta as possible. They were finally doing it! They were going to go help everybody! It was exciting and at the same time terrifying. They didn't know if someone would pop up, but Feliciana noticed that there were a lot of guards knocked out and thought they were safe. At least for now, she hoped.

Alfred opened a door and they entered. It wasn't dark, but there was little light in here. They had barely begun to go in when Feliciana heard a grunt from Alfred. She looked up to see another figure in the dark, holding onto something. The shadow of a man gasped, running towards them.

"Elizabeta? Feliciana? _Alfred_? What are you doing here?"

It was Antonio! Feliciana could now make out the curly brown hair and his green eyes. And in his arms was…

"Lovina!" Feliciana pushed Alfred and Elizabeta out of the way, rushing to her sister's side in tears. Lovina was safe! Oh, thank goodness!

The waterworks started, even for Lovina too. They pressed their heads together, crying their eyes out.

"_Sorella_! Lovina! I was so worried! I'm so glad you are okay!" she kissed her sister's cheeks and wrapped her hands on them, pulling them close.

"Feli… you idiot… don't worry about me…"

"I was so worried when the phone had cut off and I didn't hear you anymore and I've had nightmares and I can't believe you are here and out of this place and that you are alive!"

Lovina sniffed and turned to her sister, looking into her eyes. "I'm sorry… for worrying you… but you need to get… out…"

"Eh?"

Antonio said, "She's right. This building is going to explode. We need to get out of here, soon. I was taking Lovina out while the others went back."

"Others?" Elizabeta inquired. Feliciana noticed that she had a tear down her cheeks as well from seeing Antonio and Lovina.

"Apparently Gilbert is in the basement with Roderich and that creepy mafia head. Francis and a Chinese man named Yao also went back with…"

Alfred spoke up. "Along with who?"

"… the potato bastard." Lovina whispered. "He… kind of… saved me…"

Feli stopped. The tears, her thought process, everything.

Ludwig…

Ludwig was… here? In the building? _Ludwig?_

With that only thought on her mind, she rushed past Antonio and into the hallway, ignoring the pleas of her family and friends behind her.

Ludwig was here.

* * *

**A/N: **It's been a while! Ahahaha~ ^^; But I did say I would update this next and I did :D And this story is a year old! Man, I feel really bad because I wanted to get it finished by Christmas last year. Oh well.

So Ludwig shows! Though that was kind of obvious, right? But the next chapter will have surprising results...

And thank you guys so much, so many of you added this story to your alerts and favorites and everything! _Thank you very much!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia in any way, shape or form!_

**Translations:**

_Russian:_

_Da - Right_

_Italian:_

_Sorella - Sister_

_Spanish:_

_Dios mios - My God_

_French:_

_mon ami - my friend_


	19. Substitution

**Part 2 *~* Chapter 18 *~* Substitution**

* * *

Gilbert wiped the blood off his cheek, smearing it down to his chin. He couldn't help the sinking feeling that he got looking over his foe. Though Ivan was sporting a few bruises with blood spots ruining his coat and was limping, he was still standing, that same antagonizing smile stretched across his face. After checking himself, Gilbert realized that he overestimated the Russian. He had a few bruises as well, but he was bleeding from the cuts on his face and from an injury on his side caused by Ivan's blasted pipe, and possibly a few broken ribs, not to mention his own leg that felt like it was burning every step he took. The gun he had was practically useless now that he used up all the bullets.

He was losing this battle.

"What is wrong, _snow rabbit_? Already giving up?" Ivan asked, readying his pipe for another attack.

"Pet names already, _darling_?" Gilbert readied himself, positioning back into a fighting stance. "We've hardly had enough time to get to know each other for that!"

They ran at each other once more, the pipe slamming against Gilbert's arm. Gilbert struggled with the confrontation, his foot slipping. Ivan said, "We have been at this for quite a while and I can tell you are getting tired. Why don't we have a little chat before I kill you?"

The Russian pushed Gilbert down, his pipe cutting into Gilbert's arm and his body covering the albino's legs. Gilbert winced as his body hit the floor, struggling to be freed.

"Your parents killed many of my men, so they had to be punished, simple as that. You are against me as well, so you also must be punished. Romulus killed my sister, so I must make his family pay, which is why I have to kill his children and grandchildren. Though those two infuriating sisters got away… But no matter. I shall have both in my hands soon enough."

Gilbert spat in his face. "You sick bastard! All of that….! _All of that…!_ You don't need to include innocent children into your mess!"

"Says the man who was an innocent himself. You didn't have to come looking for me. Not that I mind, I do like a challenge."

Pushing his leg into Ivan's stomach, Gilbert was able to make enough room to squeeze out. The sudden movement caused the pipe on his arm to cut deeper as it slid across, creating a deep gash. The albino cried out in pain as he rolled over, quickly overcoming the pain briefly to get out of the reach of Ivan.

"_Shit, I need to do something fast!" _Gilbert didn't need to think too much into a plan as Roderich entered the room, empty handed.

"Lovina's not here! Gilbert, she's not here!"

Surprised, Gilbert made a move he would not have done normally in this circumstance: he took his eyes off of his prey. He gave a confused cry over to Roderich, whose eyes widened as he looked over Gilbert's shoulder. The sound of a gun clicking stopped everything. The air became dense and the tension was high in the air. Strange how it only takes the click of a gun to quiet a room, to bring about the gravity of death between people.

Ivan stood tall and arrogant, his gun pointed at Gilbert's head. Gilbert cursed himself for not thinking of getting the coat off of him, now determining how many more possible weapons were in Ivan's massive coat alone.

"It was fun, I would like to say," Ivan said, the smile now gone replaced by an intense glower. "but it was just too easy."

To Gilbert, everything had happened too fast. It may have for a moment seemed painfully slow, continuing in a sluggish motion, but before he knew it, everything was over. There was a shout, a call he couldn't quite recognize at that split second moments before, but the instant the shot of the gun sounded off, the yell had become silenced.

A blink. Then another. It took a while for Gilbert to accept the fact that he was still standing with no pain anywhere in him. It took another moment to realize that there was a flash before his eyes, a black one, and that it was the same thing that now rested at his feet, bleeding heavily from the wound that seemed to come from his head. And then the reality came crashing down on him when he understood that Ivan and Roderich were also standing, that someone else had jumped in front of him.

Little by little he kneeled down, not even noticing that Roderich had rushed to Ivan and knocked the weapon out of his hand and started a fight. The man in front of him was breathing forcefully, almost violently, and with unsteady hands Gilbert turned him over, and choked on a sob. "Ludwig…!"

Gilbert quickly sat him up, checking his pulse and then trying to apply pressure to the wound on the side of his head. "Ludwig! Can you hear me?! Oh my God, no, no! No! LUDWIG! LUDWIG!" His shouts became louder, crying out. He doesn't even bother to wipe his tears. "Why the hell did you have to go and do that…?!"

Suddenly, a scream fills the room. Gilbert looks out of the corner of his teary eye to see Feliciana running towards him, falling to his side and reaching out to stroke Ludwig's face.

"LUDWIG! Please, please tell me you can hear me! Ludwig!" Surprisingly, he opens an eye, and manages to smile weakly at them.

"H…. Hey… It's… been a… while… huh…"

Gilbert turned his focus back onto his brother. "Don't talk, save your breath! You are seriously hurt here, Ludwig! We need to get you out!"

"I need… to… say something…. Just in… case…" he hacked out, looking over at Gilbert. "Don't worry… about our… parents… it'll be fine. We don't… need to extract… revenge… and it's… okay. We're… okay… right?"

"Fuck Ludwig, we've always been okay but you need to stop talking because… because-"

"I love… you, Gil."

Gilbert's tears ran down his face, falling delicately onto his younger brother's cheeks. He placed his head next to Ludwig's head, whispering to him "I love you too, bro!"

Abruptly, the door to the room slammed open as Elizabeta came in. She ran in, passing a quick glance over at the two huddled around Ludwig, and tuned her attention to the fight ahead. Roderich was in a losing battle, cradling his arm. Unsuspecting to Ivan and in a fit of fury, Elizabeta took out her frying pan and _thwacked_ Ivan on the side of the head. He fell with loud thud as Elizabeta went over to her husband, looking over his arm worriedly as he sighed.

Alfred and Yao, who had run in a few seconds before with Francis who went over to Gilbert, headed towards Ivan.

"Wow, that's a nasty mark he's got on his head there. Figured you went with the frying pan." Alfred commented. Yao shushed Alfred and cradled Ivan into his arms. He gave a heavy sigh and addressed the group in the room.

"You go on out, there's not much time left! I'll deal with Ivan- don't you dare give me those looks, I can handle him! You've got to get out right now so hurry! Get out!"

"But—"

"No buts! Just go!"

Alfred and Roderich nodded, rushing over to Gilbert. Elizabeta took a glimpse of Yao, knew what he was about to do with one look into his eyes, and gasped. "You…. Why? …You don't need to, you know. You can come with us, if you'd like…"

"I know but… I want to. It's what's best for everyone. Now go. I'll… see you later."

Elizabeta couldn't argue, seeing how determined Yao was about his decision. Sadly, she nodded and hurried over to the others, deciding not to look back.

* * *

Gilbert had refused to let anyone else carry Ludwig but him, saying something about how it was his duty as an older brother as he picked him up into his arms. Feliciana didn't really listen nor care about what was going on around her; her only focus was on the only boy that she had ever truly cared about in her entire life. Her sobs echoed constantly through the empty room.

She knew she was probably grasping his shoulder too tightly, but Feliciana was afraid he might slip from her fingers once more. Everything was too slow, too much. There's a lot of blood and it's a head wound…. _"He might not even…!"_

A hand reached out for Feli's face, messily trying to wipe the trail of tears. She gasped and perceived Ludwig from her fuzzy eyesight trying to comfort her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Just stop, you might hurt yourself even further, just wait-!"

"No… I need…" He coughed harder, and Feliciana quickly got closer to him. Ludwig softened his look at her and fleetingly pressed his lips against her own. "I… love…"

Ludwig never finished his sentence. Feliciana screamed as his head lolled over onto Gilbert's chest. She thrashed and moved frantically as she felt someone pick her up over their shoulders. _"He can't leave me, he can't!" _Feliciana screamed and screamed while she was carried out against her will, away from Ludwig. Her eyesight was blurry, head pounding. The breeze against Feli's face stung her eyes.

She continued the entire way like that, screeching Ludwig's name desperately through the halls.

* * *

The room was silent, though Yao knew better than to think that. If you listened closely, the soft sounds of ticking could be heard all over the old factory. He heaved a sigh, looking down at Ivan in his lap. The mark where Elizabeta smashed her frying pan was bruising, becoming purple and blue, and swelling.

Ivan moaned as he squinted up to see Yao lightly smiling down at him.

"What…? Who… Who're you?" Yao wiped his eyes and snuffled.

"You don't… know who I am?"

"No… should I?"

Positioning Ivan to a more comfortable position in his lap, Yao silently thanked God. He did not want Ivan to remember what he was.

"I'm Yao, and you are Ivan. We're supposed to go on a trip soon, so we're waiting here. You hit your head a little on the stairs coming down…"

Ivan winced as he touched his head. "Oh… That makes sense. Where are we going, exactly?"

"Someplace better."

"And… why are you… coming with me? I remember travelling alone a lot." Ivan asked.

Yao stroked Ivan's hair gently, humming a little bit before speaking again. "Yes. You travelled alone a lot, and felt very sad deep down inside. You didn't know what to do with your feelings, so you always bumped heads with other fellows, you know? Vented it out on others. But then you met me… and… you changed. I changed. You helped me by paying for my brother's operation and for his new leg after a gang shooting. He almost died, you know. On the brink of death when you showed up in your coat and hat and everything already needed to help him."

"Oh… really?"

"Yes. You needed me, so you helped me. You loved me greatly."

Ivan smiled. "Well, you are very pretty. I can see how I could fall for someone so kind as you."

The Chinese man smiled. "I was a little put off for a while. You came onto me very strongly from the beginning, but eventually… I found myself falling for you. Which is why we're going on this trip together." He looked up to the ceiling, counting the seconds down in his mind. It won't be long until the explosions begin to sound off, collapsing everything.

"_5"_

"So I won't be alone anymore?"

"_4"_

"No, you'll never be alone again. You'll never feel alone ever again." Yao leaned down, pressing his forehead onto Ivan's.

"_3"_

"And… Will you…"

"_2"_

"Stay with me…?" Ivan asked, closing his eyes.

"_1"_

"Everlastingly."

"_0"_

* * *

**A/N: **... Hey guys. I am so so so so SO sorry I haven't posted in months! I honestly did not mean for this fanfic to even continue for more than a year but... gosh, I feel really bad about this. I don't have an excuse. I could have posted earlier when I had time to write but I never did. Maybe it was because I was getting frustrated with this fic, because I could see and understand the many, _many _problems with it. I seem to do a lot better with one-shots or a small amount of chapters, so I'll probably be doing more of those for a little while.

And I want to apologize again for making Russia the bad guy. I love him and I gave him the bad guy role ;A; I promise that his next role in a fanfic will be much better!

Thank you guys so much for supporting me and following and doing all this stuff for this story! It really means a lot, especially since this is my first time trying to write a multi-fanfic. I promise it won't take months before the next chapter is out. It'll be the last. And if you haven't noticed, I've been updating previous chapters of this story. Nothing big enough to change the entire plot, but just editing and adding more details and the such because, again, I see so many problems with this. Trust me, this is the last time I attempt a mafia-related story. So thanks for sticking with me, and see you all next chapter.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of its characters._


	20. Determination

**Part 2 *~* Chapter 19 *~* Determination**

* * *

"Is there anything else that you know about that you can tell me?" The investigator asked, jotting down the last of the newly obtained information he received on a small notepad. Elizabeta shook her head and with a worried look glimpsed down at Feliciana, sleeping with her head in the Hungarian's lap. They were on one of the only couches in the clean white hospital waiting room. "Alright, thank ya, ma'am." He pocketed the notepad into his beige trench coat.

As the man began to move away from her, Elizabeta grabbed his arm. "Excuse me, Mr. Hernandez, if you don't mind…" The man turned to her, curious. "Could you please tell me if the people in the factory, Yao and Ivan, were they still in there? Did they make it out alive?"

Mr. Hernandez rubbed his hand through his dark dreadlocks and thought for a moment. "If you mean those heads of the mafia, they died in the explosion. We found what was left of their bodies." Elizabeta shivered, turning her head to the side away from the officer and quietly questioned, "What happens next? What'll happen to us?"

"It seems that the mafia had split after the police infiltrated the area. Don't worry, we've got it under control from now on. We're rounding up members as we speak. Without a leader to take head, they tend to make obvious and stupid mistakes. You guys are all cleared up. We may end up calling just to double-check our sources and information, but as far as I'm concerned, you can put this whole thing behind you, ma'am."

Roderich, who was sitting on the other end of the couch, breathed a sigh. "Even though this issue has been settled, everyone is still sore. Many of us at hurt and one of us is on the brink of death." He looked down on his arm, held comfortably in a sling.

Mr. Hernandez responded, "I know, and we'll try to do everything we can to help you guys out. But for now, just hang tight. I have to go see Mr. Carriedo and Ms. Vargas to get their comments on the event, and then I have to get back to the station to report my findings. I wish you all the best of luck." He nodded towards everyone in the room and left, the sound of his shoes thumping against the cold tile floor echoing through the silence.

Alfred heaved a sigh from the corner he was standing in, arms crossed and tapping his foot. "I'm glad that the police are doing what they can, but I don't know how much luck they'll have with finding any more members."

"They'll do the best they can then." Elizabeta said. "For now, it's like he said. It is behind us at the moment. We need to be focusing on our injuries."

"So does anyone know how Lovina and Antonio are?" Alfred asked, looking around the room. Francis, sitting in a seat not too far from him, turned to the American and replied with a small smile on his face. "They are doing fine. I visited them about an hour ago. Antonio's got some cuts along his arms and face but nothing big, though _son amour_ however will need to be in a wheelchair for a while. She has a lot of bruises, her leg will be in a cast for about two months, her shoulder will have to stay wrapped for another few weeks since it needed stitches, and they're checking for possible brain damage, but haven't found anything. She was beaten up pretty badly. I'm assuming that she'll have some scars from this experience."

He leaned back into the seat. "Antonio is unwilling to leave her side. It's nice though that he's finally realized what's been there all along. Goodness gracious, I would have ripped the hair off of my chin if he didn't do something about it soon!"

Elizabeta giggled, the frown on her face gone with a happy look for a few minutes. Alfred and Roderich also had a much brighter expression. "It's nice that they both have each other." She said, once again turning her gaze to the sleeping girl in her lap. Elizabeta ran her fingers through Feliciana's hair gently. "But I can't help but worry about Feliciana. Since the trip here the other day ago she's done nothing but sleep and worry. She barely eats and I fear she'll hurt herself more if we do not get news of Ludwig soon…"

The Hungarian's eyes moved to the other end of the room on their last member of their gang in the waiting room, endlessly pacing. "And then we have him to worry about as well. Blocking us all out and just constantly pacing. I understand it, but it can't be good to be doing that for nearly 24 hours straight."

Every time they had tried to make contact with Gilbert, he had only waved them off or would talk in a quiet voice in German. He refused to sleep until he knew of Ludwig's condition, which was taking far too long, so he was becoming restless.

"We're all worried about Ludwig, but Gilbert the most since it is his brother. And as the brother, you tend to feel responsible if something ever happens to them, even if it's not your fault." Alfred softly spoke. "Trust me, I know. But it's got to be ten times worse in Gil's head since he thinks it's his fault that Ludwig even came to the factory in the first place."

They all exchanged a look of concern when the doors to the emergency room opened suddenly, drawing their attention to it. A man in a long white lab coat walked over into the waiting room. His brown eyes scanned over everyone and said in a clear, loud voice, "Mr. Beilschmidt?"

Gilbert stopped his tracks and swiftly ran to the doctor's side, tired red eyes looking at him worriedly. He had bags underneath his eyes and was much paler than ever before. "Yes, that's me!" he nearly shouted into the doctor's ear. The doctor's face twitched for a moment before regaining his composure.

"I am Dr. Honda, the one in charge of the operation." Dr. Honda said softly, trying to talk only to Gilbert.

"We're all here for Ludwig, so you don't have to speak so quietly." Gilbert said, looking back at everyone in the room for the first time in the past couple of hours. The Edelsteins nodded, not moving much from their spot on the couch while Francis and Alfred in the other corner had shifted closer. Dr. Honda gave a quick, observant look over everyone. "Yes, of course, I apologize."

Dr. Honda adjusted his glasses, reading over the information on his clipboard once more before bringing his deep brown eyes back up to Gilbert. "As you know, Ludwig was accepted into the hospital in critical condition yesterday morning. Myself and the nurses have done the very best we can."

Elizabeta gasped, her hands covering her mouth as she began to tear up. "You… You don't mean he's-?"

"Ah, he is not dead, ma'am." Dr. Honda interrupted. "I'm sorry if I made you think that for a moment. He is indeed alive."

Smiles erupted all throughout the room as well as several sighs of relief. Not many people survive from a gunshot wound in the head, they all knew too well, so hearing this kind of news was a miracle. Francis began to tear up a little, bringing out his handkerchief to dab at his eyes. Alfred patted Gilbert on the back, both giving the other a grin. Elizabeta stroked Feliciana's hair, a tear rolling down her cheek. Roderich, however, noticed the look the doctor gave when he said that, and spoke up.

"What's wrong with him?" He asked, hands clenched into a fist. The smiles that had just brought joy mere moments ago were wiped clean. The small chitter-chatter stopped and silence fell onto the room. Gilbert twisted his head over to take a glance at Roderich. "What do you mean?" He stood up straight and looked back at the doctor, scrutinizing him. "What's wrong with my little brother?"

With a heavy sigh, Dr. Honda swept some of his black hair from his face. It was clear he didn't want to tell whatever depressing news it was.

"He is alive, there is no doubt about that, and that he will eventually make a recovery, due to the kind of gun that was used and the bullet. He'll need therapy, lots of home rest, and he shouldn't have any kind of mental problems, but there is a high probability that he will have amnesia. We don't know if it will be temporary or if it'll be permanent for sure until he wakes up."

There was no way to describe the feeling that crept through the skins of everyone in the room. The first one to react was Gilbert, who fell to the floor and punched it with his good hand, his nearly white hair covering half of his face. He gave an odd sort of chuckle and wiped his face. "_Gott_… Fuck…!" He looked up. "He won't remember a thing?!"

Dr. Honda kneeled down to Gilbert's level, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He might remember a few small things, such as bits and pieces about himself and family and friends, the same functions that everyone knows like eating and walking, but other than that I'm afraid he won't remember. You could always try to help him remember slowly and see if he makes any progress, but you should never force him with it. We don't know of anything for sure until he wakes up."

Tears streaked down Gilbert's face as he punched the floor once more. "Damn it all… DAMMIT!" Francis was quickly at his friend's side, holding his arm back to prevent him from punching the floor. Gilbert twitched and turned, trying desperately to move but was constricted by Francis. It was like a caged animal doomed to death, and it was hard to even look at Gilbert acting like this, Elizabeta thought, her face in the neck of her husband's. Roderich placed his hand on her hand, staring down at the girl still asleep through this.

It took a few minutes for Gilbert to stop shaking. Francis double checked with him to make sure he was okay, and with a hushed "Get off," Gilbert faced the doctor. His cheeks were stained, and he was sorrowful, but he gave the tiniest hint of smile. "He's alive though, right? He's fuckin' alive! That's what really counts in the end. He's alive… My little brother is alive! And I have you to thank for it, Doc. Thank you. Thank you so much!"

Dr. Honda smiled and nodded, helping Gilbert back up on his two feet. "Even if he loses his memories or becomes a different person, no matter what he is still your brother and all you have left is each other. Family bonds is one of the most precious of bonds we make."

He turned. "I'll come back and report when he has woken up." Dr. Honda said before disappearing back into the emergency room.

Gilbert looked down towards the ground, crying and sniffling. His shoulders heaved up and down, unable to control himself anymore. Francis leaned over and rubbed his back. Alfred peered at Elizabeta, who returned the look. She continued stroking Feliciana's hair as Roderich walked up to Gilbert and placed an arm around his shoulder, bringing his face into his chest. There will be a time later for words.

* * *

It seemed that luck was in Feliciana's favor, for when she awoke, the news of Ludwig being awake was announced by Doctor Honda. Hearing this, Feliciana sat straight up, looking unbelievingly at the doctor. She had been told nearly half a day ago about Ludwig's condition and cried for what seemed like hours.

Even though Feliciana badly wanted to see the boy she loved most, protocol states that only family members can enter for now, but knowing Gilbert he'll try to get a few people in to see him. Besides, Gilbert was the one who was going to find out if Ludwig had amnesia and that if he does, how much he remembers.

The minutes couldn't have gone any slower. It was practically painful for Feliciana just to sit there next to Elizabeta, shaking and trembling, keeping her hands busy by flexing her fingers over one another. Her eyes were closed, thinking of every single moment the two had together. Replaying those memories help calm her down a lot. Those memories will stay with her forever, but knowing that Ludwig might not even remember any of it…

Feliciana shook her head, trying not to think too hard about that. She had to stay positive! Ludwig will be okay in the end and they'll embrace and everything will be just as it was in no time! Positive!

So when Gilbert finally came back out about a half hour later with a solemn look, her heart broke. Gilbert sounded tired, obviously upset, but talked in a calm voice. "Ludwig doesn't remember much at all. At first he didn't know his name or who he was really, but is kind of remembering bits and pieces now. He almost didn't recognize me either. He doesn't remember much of anything before this whole business really. Don't be surprised if he doesn't recognize you. Just… just give him time, maybe he'll come around and remember, like the Doctor said. Maybe…"

Rushing off of the couch, Feliciana ran to Gilbert, clutching his shirt. "Me… Does he remember me? Anything at all?"

Gilbert placed his hand on her head and stared into her eyes. "I'm sorry. When I asked, he said he can't remember a thing about knowing someone named Feliciana."

She clenched on to his shirt, fresh tears becoming soaked into his clothes. Gilbert brought her into a hug as she wept.

"I know you love him with everything you've got, Feli. And I know that he loves you just as much. There's no way he won't fall in love with you again." He lightly pushed her back, wiping her tears with his thumb. "If he did it once, he can do it again."

"E-Even so…! He won't…!"

"Feli." Gilbert smiled and ruffled her hair a bit. "He does remember seeing a little girl in a green dress, and remembers making a promise to her. In fact, that was the first thing he said when he woke up. Something about keeping a promise, though he has no idea who he made it with or anything about it. I don't know anything about any promises, but I'm sure that that had to be with you."

Feliciana's eyes widened. "He made a promise before he left. So… if I tell him now-"

"No Feli, you can't. It's too early to try and make him remember anything. Remember what the Doctor said? We can't force him to remember at all, or he might get seriously hurt. If he remembers, he remembers. If he doesn't, then don't bring it up, okay? I know it's hard for you, but you've got to think of him right now and what's best for him."

She sniffled, wiped her eyes for a few seconds, and slowly nodded. Gilbert gave a smile, and gently took her hand, leading her into the hallway. "I don't want everyone seeing him today, but since you're practically his girlfriend I think you have a good enough reason to see him now rather than later."

It was too sudden for her as Gilbert pushed her into a room; the door shut behind her as Gilbert's footsteps gradually faded away. Feliciana was in a white, large hospital room with a huge curtain in the middle. A soft_ beep beep_ was the only noise in the room. The window was open, allowing fresh air into the room, and she could see his silhouette, his head turning towards the door.

"Hello?"

It took all of Feli's willpower not to start crying once again and force herself onto him in a hug. She remembered what she said earlier: Positive. She needs to stay positive. Ludwig doesn't need a broken down girl weeping at him.

Feliciana walked over, lightly touching the soft fabric of the curtain, and turned to him. He wasn't the same young boy that she remembered. He was bigger, muscular, and didn't have an ounce of baby fat on him. But he had the same face, just only larger and structured more. His blonde hair was lighter with a bandage covering his head, and his eyes even were a lighter color than she remembered. He was hooked up to several machines, including a heart monitor. It pained her to see him like this but still, sitting in that bed was the very same Ludwig she fell in love with. It was her Ludwig, and she still loved him dearly.

"Um… excuse me?"

The sounds of his low voice stopped her from staring at him. How did she not notice that his voice was deeper? It made Feliciana feel like she didn't really know this Ludwig, but stopped thinking about it as she looked into his eyes. She smiled and walked over, not bothering with the chairs beside it and sat on the bed, reaching a hand out to touch the bandage.

Ludwig, clearly confused, looked up at her. "You seem familiar to me… but my brother says I have amnesia and that I won't really recognize anyone. I'm sorry if we've met before, but could you please tell me who you are?"

Feliciana brought her hand down, reaching for his own as she grasped it softly. "It's alright. Gilbert said it might take some time before you fully remember. My name is Feliciana Vargas, but you can call me Feli. We grew up together for a few years and are best friends."

Ludwig scrutinized her for a moment, still taking the information in. "We're… best friends?"

The Italian girl stared at him, and so quickly she began to fling her arms about, a worried look on her face. "AH! Did I go too far? Gilbert had warned me of trying to tell you things and instead let you figure out some things but I think I went and overdid it! Was I supposed to tell you that? What if I wasn't?! I don't want to be killed by Gilbert if I wasn't supposed to but I just missed you so much and I haven't talked to you in such a long time that it just slipped out of my mouth and I don't want to get in trouble and I don't want to hurt you more than you already are!"

Feliciana continued to wail, thinking too hard about what she may have done. She really didn't want to make Ludwig think too much since he's already having memory troubles on top of a head injury! To say she was shocked when he placed a finger on her mouth was an understatement. It definitely hushed her, and her wide eyes met with his. It was only brief before his cheeks were stained with a dark red color and turned his head to the side. "I-I get it, no need to yell in a hospital! And I'm fine. Nothing is hurting me."

_This_ was her Ludwig. And he didn't even know anything about her or their past and here he was, blushing the same way he did back when he was little. It gave Feliciana hope. She gave him the biggest smile and said, "I'm really glad that you are okay, Ludwig."

Across from her, Ludwig gazed at her in astonishment, the blush still evident. He looked away when a loud beeping sound filled the silence. The heart monitor he was hooked up to was stable before, but now was beating faster. Feliciana laughed, in relief and in happiness, and weaved her fingers through his.

"_Everything will be alright."_

* * *

About a day after Ludwig awakens and re-acquaints himself with everyone, Francis had to leave, saying that he had to get back to work and couldn't miss another day. Alfred, on the other hand, decided to stay and give everyone else a ride home, of which they were most grateful.

Since Ludwig was alright to go home in a few days, the Edelstein couple chose to remain, mainly because of Feliciana's well-being. They knew they shouldn't take her away from Ludwig after meeting him once again in so long. Antonio also decided to stay, partly because the doctors want to do several more tests on Lovina and because Lovina wanted some time with her sister.

Time passed by slowly, the days usually spent telling stories of Ludwig's past from things like learning music with Roderich to Gilbert's embarrassing tales of his early childhood. Every day Ludwig would remember little pieces, but it was obvious that it might take years for him to remember everything, if he ever remembers.

At night when the youngest members of their group fell asleep, the rest of them would play card games, laughing and having some fun like they used to back when they were kids. The stress of having to worry about someone coming after them was off of their shoulders. They did wonder of whatever happened to Romulus, but it was agreed to decide that he was going to continue doing whatever it was (if he was even still alive, which they had no clue if he was or wasn't) and that they had to protect the two sisters no matter what.

Soon it became the day of leaving for everyone. Alfred took off and headed for Vienna first since it was the closest stop. He alerted everyone that they were going to be landing soon overhead, alerting the passengers. Mostly everyone was near the front of the plane, but Feliciana and Lovina were sitting near the back of the plane to have more privacy to themselves.

"I'm really going to miss you, _sorella_." Feli said, hugging her sister as best she could. Lovina returned the gesture, awkwardly turning so that she didn't have to move her leg that was propped up or her injured shoulder.

"I'll miss you too, idiot. Stay safe and don't stray far from the house by yourself, got it?"

"Ve, of course!"

"And also…" Lovina looked down, grabbing her sister's hand. "Call every once in a while. Just to make sure everything is okay."

Feliciana smiled and squeezed it back. "I will as long as you call me every once in a while. Besides, you have to keep me updated on how you and Antonio are doing!"

Turning pink Lovina huffed and crossed her arms, ripping her hand from her sister's. "I don't need to tell you what the hell goes on between us!"

"But you're dating now! That's so exciting, Lovi! Please? You could give me tips for when I start dating, ve!" Lovina's face turned into one of disgust.

"I am NOT giving dating advice! And you'd use it on the potato!"

Feliciana laughed. "Well of course I'd used it on "the potato," I do love him of course!"

"Feli, will you really be okay?" Lovina asked, concerned. Feliciana gave her a questioned look. "I mean, he still doesn't remember what happened between you and him before he left. Will you be okay knowing that there's a possibility he won't ever remember or that it'd take something like ten years for him to remember?"

The mere fact that Lovina was worried about her openly made Feli feel glad. She grabbed her sister's hands once more and said, "Thank you for worrying about me, I really appreciate it. I'll be fine, because it doesn't matter if Ludwig remembers or not. I love him. Gilbert even told me the other day that he was asking more questions about me and wanting to know more. It'll be alright."

Lovina sighed. "He'll most definitely fall in love with you again." Feliciana giggled.

"Just make sure he doesn't do anything to you, alright? And if I find out if he's done something unforgettable to you I'll take care of him myself, dammit."

"Haha, okay!"

"Girls?"

They looked up to see Antonio a few rows in front of them, waving his hand. "We'll be landing in about a minute." Feliciana replied back saying they'll join them up front after they land and he nodded, walking back.

"That reminds me." Lovina turned her attention back to her sister. "It's kind of weird how the mafia has destroyed our family. _Papa_ and _mama, nonno.._l. And yet at the same time it gave us a new family."

It was a heavy topic, but there had to have been a reason Feli was bringing it up. Even though Lovina didn't want to think of what has happened, she replied back. "Yeah, they did. I can never fuckin' forgive what they've done to our family, but at the same time they did lead us to Antonio and the Edelsteins."

"Mm… I'm glad that we're still a family, you know?"

Lovina softened her look on her sister. "We'll always be a family, dammit. Besides, no one can get rid of you if they tried."

"Lovi!"

They laughed as the plane landed, Roderich gathering their things with Antonio's help. Elizabeta called Feliciana over, saying that they can't keep Alfred from his next destination. Feliciana hugged her sister again with a promise to meet as soon as possible. Antonio squeezed Feliciana when she raised her arms to him, running off about how he would better protect Lovina. It was funny to watch when Lovina tried to tell him off, only to get a kiss on the lips from her boyfriend, silencing her. She shook hands with Alfred while Gilbert twirled her into the air, telling her that he'll visit within the next few weeks to see Ludwig. Ludwig himself was asleep, still needing lots of rest, and though Feliciana wanted to actually talk to him, she only reached down and kissed his cheek, whispering into his ear "Until we meet again."

Grasping onto Elizabeta's hand, she descended from the plane, only turning back to wave at everyone left. "_Everything has been settled_," she thought as she walked on out of the airport with her guardians. While Roderich tried calling for a car, Feliciana looked up to see Alfred's plane in the sky. She waved one last time, knowing with ease that someday they all will meet once again.

* * *

**A/N:** Took forever but it's done! I've learned a lot from writing this fic and I have plans to improve myself much more. Thank you all for your support for the past year. And I know, the ending probably wasn't what you expected, but it was what I had planned, to somewhat leave it unfinished. I wanted the focus more on the family/love and of how those ties are very powerful rather than the mafia part, so yeah. If you have any questions at all, just send me a message and I'll be happy to tell you anything.

_Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia in any way, shape, or form._

Translations:

Gott - German - God

Son amour – French – his love

Sorella – Italian – sister

Papa – Italian – father

Mama – italian – mother

Nonno – Italian - grandfather


End file.
